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HARVARD  COLLEGE  OBSERVATORY. 


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32d  Congress, 
1st  Session . 


[SENATE.]  Ex.  Doc. 

No.  121. 


In  compliance  with  a resolution  of  the  Senate,  the  report  of  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Graham  on  the  subject  of  the  boundary  line  between  the  United 
States  arid  Mexico. 


August  27,  1852. — Referred  to  the  Select  Committee  on  the  subject. 
August  31,  1852  — Ordered  to  be  printed. 


War  Department, 
Washington,  August  25,  1S52* 

Sir  : In  answer  to  the  resolution  of  the  2d  instant,  calling  upon  me 
to  transmit  to  the  Senate  a copy  of  the  report  made  by  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Graham,  of  the  topographical  corps  of  engineers,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  to- 
gether with  all  papers  in  the  department  on  that  subject,  I have  to 
slate  that,  at  the  date  of  said  resolution,  no  report,  such  as  is  described 
in  the  resolution,  existed  on  the  files  of  tips  department.  On  the  19th 
instant,  however,  such  a report  was  filed  in  the  Topographical  Bureau, 
and  the  copy  which  I herewith  transmit  was  sent  to  my  office  the  next 
day,  though  I was  not  aware  of  it  until  yesterday,  and  am  ignorant  of 
its  contents. 

I will  add  that  Colonel  Graham  was  not  called  upon  by  me  to  make 
a report  of  his  proceedings  while  employed  in  the  boundary  survey,  as 
I conceived  that  any  such  report,  if  made,  ought  properly  to  have  been 
addressed  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior.  It  appears,  however, 
that  the  head  of  the  bureau,  conceiving  that  some  censure  was  cast 
upon  Colonel  Graham  by  the  course  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
in  requesting  that  he  should  be  recalled  and  another  officer  sent  to  re- 
lieve him  on  that  duty,  called  upon  him,  without  my  knowledge,  for 
an  explanation.  This  report  was,  as  I am  informed,  made  in  conse- 
quence of  that  order. 

There  are  no  papers  on  file  in  this  department  relating  to  the  bound- 
ary line. 

The  only  papers  in  the  department,  having  any  reference  to  the  sur- 
vey, are  the  correspondence,  orders,  and  reports  relative  to  the  officers 
to  be  detailed  on  that  duty,  which  it  is  presumed  the  resolution  does 
not  embrace. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

C.  M.  CONRAD, 

Secretary  of  War . 

Hon.  W.  R.  King,  President  of  the  Senate . 


C'J 


2 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham's  report,  addressed  to  Colonel  J.  J.  Alert, 
Chief  of  the  Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers. 

Washington,  June  18,  1852. 

Sir:  In  answer  to  your  call,  under  date  of  the  3d  of  March  last,  I 

have  the  honor  to  make  to  you  the  following  report,  availing  myself  of 
the  papers  which  accompanied  your  letter,  (hereto  attached,  marked  Nos. 
178,  179,  180,  181,  182,  183,  and  184,)  tor  reference.  You  are  already 
aware  that  the  time  which  has  elapsed  between  your  call  and  this  re- 
ply has  been  owing  to  certain  papers,  which  were  required  by  me  for 
reference,  and  which  were  left  with  some  of  my  baggage  to  be  shipped 
to  me  from  Indianola  to  this  place,  having  failed  to  arrive  here  until 
within  a few  days  past. 

I was  assigned  to  duty  as  principal  astronomer  and  head  of  the  sci- 
entific corps,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  for  the  survey  and  de- 
marcation of  the  boundary  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico, 
under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  on  the  21st  of  October,  1850.# 
On  the  23d  of  that  month,  I received  my  instructions  from  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior,  placing  me  on  duty  in  connexion  with  this  boundary,  t 

I was  verbally  asked  at  the  department,  how  soon  I would  be  ready 
to  start  for  the  field  of  operations.  I replied,  verbally,  that  I could  be 
ready  in  a few  days,  provided  all  necessary  preparations  for  the  field- 
work had  been  perfected  by  my  predecessors.  I particularly  asked  to 
be  informed  as  to  what  astronomical  and  surveying  instruments  had 
been  carried  out  to  the  boundary  by  Mr.  Commissioner  Bartlett,  when 
he  went  out,  in  August,  1850.  The  department  had  no  knowledge  as 
to  what  apparatus  had  been  taken  out  at  that  time,  beyond  a few  ar- 
ticles which  Lieutenant  Whipple  was  authorized  to  take  from  the  cus- 
tom-house at  New  York,  and  from  the  Messrs.  Bond,  of  Boston,  in 
addition  to  those  which  had  been  turned  over  by  Brevet  Major  W.  H. 
Emory  to  Lieutenant  Whipple,  at  San  Diego,  about  the  time  of  the 
adjournment  of  the  joint  commission,  on  the  15th  of  February,  1850. 
I pointed  out  the  fact  that  the  aggregate  of  these  formed  a very  insuffi- 
cient equipment  for  the  extent  of  line  to  be  surveyed. 

I spoke  of  the  great  importance  of  proper  preparation  with  regard  to 
instruments,  and  stated  that  it  was  a matter  which  ought  to  be  well  un- 
tderstood  and  settled  before  I started  for  El  Paso.  I asked  to  be  allowed 
to  look  at  Mr.  Commissioner  Bartlett’s  returns  to  the  department,  in 
(Order  to  see  what  instruments  he  had  actually  carried  out  with  him. 
After  a good  deal  of  search,  the  clerks  reported  that  no  such  returns 
vcould  be  found  in  the  department.  My  instructions  from  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior,  of  October  23,  1850,  (No.  12)  required  me  to  look 
into  the  files  of  that  office  and  to  satisfy  myself  in  relation  to  this  matter ; 
and  after  completing  the  equipment  of  instruments,  to  join  the  commis- 
.sion  in  the  field.  This  examination  made  it  necessary  for  me  to  peruse 
.the  whole  of  the  correspondence  relating  to  the  boundary  commission, 
from  its  first  organization  down  to  the  time  of  my  being  detailed  for 
•duty  on  it,  embracing  a period  of  near  two  years.  A great  part  of  this 
vcorrespondence  was  in  the  original  manuscript  letters,  which  were  not 


**  See  Appendix,  No.  9. 


f See  Appendix,  Nos.  12  and  13. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


3 


folded  in  form,  nor  were  they  endorsed  so  as  to  show  the  nature  of  their 
contents;  consequently  all  of  them  had  to  be  perused  with  care,  in  seek- 
ing after  the  desired  information— a task  which  required,  therefore,  much 
time  and  attention.  When  this  examination  was  completed,  it  was 
found  that  these  papers  contained  no  information  whatever  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  instruments  taken  out  by  Mr.  Bartlett,  except  those  already 
alluded  to  in  the  possession  of  Lieutenant  Whipple. 

I must  here  remark  that,  in  January,  1849,  under  the  orders  of  the 
State  Department,  I turned  over  to  Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory  all  the 
instruments  which  had  been  used  on  the  northeastern  boundary,  be- 
longing to  that  department,  and  which  Major  Emory  thought  would  be 
necessary  for  running  the  Mexican  boundary  line.  They  embraced  a 
very  valuable  and  complete  equipment,  which,  under  the  orders  of  the 
Department  of  State,  I had,  a short  time  before,  caused  to  be  put  in  a 
complete  state  of  repair  for  field  service  upon  this  new  line. 

This  equipment  will  appear  in  full  detail  by  reference  to  column  No* 
l^of  the  accompanying  table  marked  No.  173.* 

'This  equipment  was  carried  to  the  Pacific  for  use  on  this  new  line; 
the  survey  of  which  was  required  by  the  treaty  to  be  commenced  at 
San  Diego. 

The  joint  commission  accordingly  began  operations  there  ; but,  after 
making  a survey  of  the  harbor  of  San  Diego  and  its  vicinity,  and  a sur- 
vey of  the  locality  showing  the  junction  of  the  river  Gila  with  the  Col- 
orado, and  having  determined  the  latitudes  and  longitudes  of  these  two 
points,  which  are  the  extremities  of  the  straight  line  that  was  to  form 
the  southern  boundary  of  our  California,  the  joint  commission  adjourned 
on  the  15th  of  February,  1850,  to  meet  again  at  El  Paso  del  Norte  on 
the  first  Monday  of  the  following  November,  from  whence  to  resume 
operations  in  the  field.  It  was  but  a few  days  after  the  adjournment 
that  the  Hon.  John  B.  Wellei  retired  from  the  charge  of  the  commis- 
sion on  the  part  of  the  United  States.  After  the  retirement  of  Mr. 
Weller,  it  does  not  appear  that  any  steps  were  taken  by  his  successor 
to  transfer  the  main  body  of  the  instruments  to  the  new  point  of  begin- 
ning. All  that  I could  gather  in  regard  to  this  point,  from  the  files  of 
the  Department  of  the  Interior,  was  contained  in  the  concluding  para- 
graph of  Major  Emory’s  letter  to  that  department,  dated  San  Diego, 
April  2,  1850,  wherein  he  says:  “In  the  uncertainty  as  to  the  wishes 
and  intentions  of  the  government,  I have  endeavored  to  make  such  dis- 
position of  the  instruments  as  will  suit  any  case.  There  are  more  than 
enough  left  here  to  push  the  work  from  this  side,  if,  contrary  to  my  ad- 
vice, it  should  be  attempted.  Lieutenant  Whipple  will  be  ordered  to 
select  from  those  in  his  charge,  and  those  shipped  to  Boston,  sufficient  to 
set  up  an  observatory  at  the  Paso  del  Norte  as  soon  as  he  can  get  funds  ; 
and  it  would  expedite  the  work  if  he  was  sent  there  immediately  and 
in  advance  of  the  commission.”  (See  Senate  Doc.  No.  34,  part  2,  31st 
Congress,  1st  session,  page  17.) 

Here,  then,  it  appears  that  Lieutenant  Whipple  was  charged  with 
the  transfer  to  El  Paso  of  only  instruments  enough  to  set  up  an  obser- 
vatory at  that  point.  But  nowhere  could  I find  any  indication  of 


*See  also  No.  174,  an  abstract  of  No.  173,  more  convenient  for  reference. 


4 


S.  Doc.  121. 


a transfer  to  that  point  of  the  main  body  of  the  instruments  applicable 
to  the  surveying  department  proper. 

Major  Emory’s  return,  found  in  the  department,  dated  San  Diego, 
March  30,  1850,  showed  that  he  had  received  from  me,  in  January,. 
1849,  as  many  as  two  hundred  and  thirty-three  items  of  instruments, 
including  meteorological  and  magnetic  apparatus,  &c.  In  addition  to 
that  number  he  purchased  under  the  authority  of  the  State  Depart- 
ment, at  his  own  request,  twenty  other  items  before  he  left  New  York  in 
February  of  that  year,  making  an  aggregate  of  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
three. 

Of  the  two  hundred  and  thirty-three  items  turned  over  to  him  by 
me  for  this  Mexican  boundary  service  there  were — 

1  large  astronomical  altitude  and  azimuth  instrument. 

3 astronomical  transits. 

7 chronometers. 

1 repeating-circle  of  reflexion. 

4 sextants. 

1 astronomical  telescope  of  four-feet  focal  length  of  telescope,  with? 

equatorial  mounting. 

5 theodolites. 

2 smaller  theodolites,  usually  called  goniometers,  or  railroad  transits. 

1 azimuth  instrument,  (or  field-surveying  instrument.) 

4 surveyor’s  compasses. 

13  prismatic  compasses. 

13  surveyor’s  chains. 

110  marking-pins. 

4 standard-rods  for  adjusting  the  chains. 

2 reconnoitring  spy-glasses. 

It  was  very  important  for  me  to  know,  before  I departed  for  El 
Paso,  what  portion  of  this  apparatus  applicable  to  the  main  object  ini 
view — namely,  the  survey  of  the  line — had  been  taken  to  that  point. 
There  were  no  regular  returns  to  be  found  in  the  Department  of  the 
Interior  on  this  subject.  All  that  could  be  found  in  relation  to  it  con- 
sisted of  detached  pieces  of  paper  in  the  form  of  receipts,  given  by 
Lieutenant  Whipple  for  such  items  as  he  had  got  from  the  custom- 
house at  New  York,  and  from  Mr.  Bond,  of  Boston,  and  what  was 
charged  to  him  in  Major  Emory’s  return  of  March  30,  1S50. 

The  aggregate  of  these  amounted  to  the  following  only — applicable 
to  the  surveying  department  and  the  astronomical  observations,  viz  i 

3  astronomical  transits. 

6  chronometers. 

1 repeating-circle  of  reflexion. 

2 sextants. 

1 astronomical  telescope,  four-feet  focal,  and  equatorial  mounting. 

No  theodolite  whatever. 

No  small  theodolite  or  railroad  transit  whatever. 

1 azimuth,  or  field-surveying  instrument,  (but  it  was  without  its 
stand  for  mounting  it  for  use.) 

1 surveyor’s  compass  only, 

2 prismatic  compasses  only. 

No  surveyor’s  chain  whatever. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


5 


"No  marking-pins  whatever. 

1 reconnoitring  spy-glass. 

The  supply  of  meteorological  and  magnetic  instruments  for  ob- 
serving-on  the  climate,  and  the  dip,  variation,  and  intensity  of  the 
needle,  was  liberal  enough;  but,  while  .these  were  very  interesting 
objects  of  attention,  they  did  not  aid  at  all  in  forwarding  the  main  ob- 
ject— namely,  the  running  of  the  line. 

The  aggregate  of  all  turned  over  to  Lieutenant  Whipple  and  carried 
to  El  Paso  did  not  appear  to  exceed  some  fifty-five  or  sixty-five  items  out 
of  the  two  hundred  and  fifty -three  procured  in  the  beginning  for  this  great 
work — indeed  the  most  extensive  geodetic  work  ever  projected  by  any 
nation,  either  in  ancient  or  modern  times — and  yet  nearly  all  of  it  was 
still  to  be  accomplished.  The  entire  distance  across  the  American 
continent,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  about  one  hundred  and  forty-five  or  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  1(the  line  between  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  and  San  Diego,)  was 
yet  to  be  accomplished,  which  may  be  estimated  at  full  two  thousand 
five  hundred  miles  or  more,  including  the  sinuosities  of  the  Gila  and 
the  Rio  Grande,  which  last  mentioned  is  very  crooked. 

For  this  gigantic  undertaking  it  appeared,  from  all  the  information 
in  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  that  Mr.  Commissioner  Bartlett  had 
gone  into  the  distant  field  of  operations  almost  destitute  of  instruments 
for  the  surveying  department  proper. 

Immediately  on  being  impressed  with  this  unfortunate  condition  of 
things,  I took  the  proper  steps  to  have  a new  apparatus  prepared,  com- 
mensurate with  my  conception  of  the  magnitude  of  the  work  to  be  ac- 
complished. To  do  this,  it  was  necessary  that  the  greater  part  of  the 
instruments  should  be  made.  Both  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and 
the  Secretary  of  W ar  were  loth  to  understand  that  it  was  possible  that 
Mr.  Bartlett  had  gone  out  to  El  Paso  so  devoid  of  preparation  in  regard 
to  the  surveying  department.  The  evidence  of  it  could  not  be  made 
positive;  but  the  conclusions  to  this  effect,  at  which  I had  arrived  from 
the  most  careful  investigations,  were  convincing  to  my  own  mind ; and 
as  I was  held  responsible,  by  the  instructions  I had  received,  for  the 
equipment  in  instruments,  as  well  as  for  the  successful  prosecution  of 
the  surveys,  I urged,  both  before  the  Secretar}r  of  the  Interior  and  the 
Secretary  of  War,  the  necessity  of  proper  preparation  before  departing 
for  a point  so  distant  and  so  difficult  of  access  as  El  Paso. 

It  was  urged  in  the  Department  of  the  Interior  that  Mr.  Gray,  the 
surveyor  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  had  been  instructed — under 
date  from  Washington  of  October  23,  1850,  (the  same  date  as  that  of 
my  instructions) — to  proceed  from  San  Diego  up  the  valley  of  the  Gila, 
with  the  property  of  the  boundary  commission,  and  report  to  the  United 
States  commissioner  at  El  Paso,  and  that  the  instruments  would  thus 
be  transferred  to  the  new  point  of  departure  by  the  time  I could  reach 
El  Paso.  In  answer  to  this,  I stated  my  convictions  that  this  was  a 
•thing  impracticable  for  Mr.  Gray  to  accomplish ; and  that  if  reliance 
were  placed  upon  this  expectation,  I felt  satisfied  it  would  result  in  a 
total  failure,  and  that  the  consequence  would  be  a serious  retarding  of 
the  work  until  I could,  after  reaching  El  Paso,  communicate  the  true 
state  of  affairs  to  Washington,  and  be  authorized  to  take  steps,  at  that 


6 


S.  Doc.  121. 


late  period,  to  remedy  the  evil.  I gave  it  as  my  opinion  that  it  would 
cause  the  main  body  of  the  surveying  corps  to  remain  idle  for  a long 
time,  and  at  a great  expense,  before  the  evil  could  be  remedied. 

In  the  letter  to  Mr.  Gray,  above  alluded  to,  the  department  says : 

“Department  of  the  Interior, 

“ Washington , October  23,  1850. 

“Sir:  In  a letter  of  this  date  to  Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory,  I have 
directed  that  officer  to  turn  over  to  you  as  speedily  as  possible,  after 
he  shall  have  transacted  the  necessary  business  of  the  commission  at 
San  Diego,  sufficient  funds  and  the  property  of  the  commission ; when 
}mu  will,  with  the  whole  party  belonging  to  the  commission,  proceed 
by  the  shortest  route  to  El  Paso,  where  you  will  report  to  Mr.  J.  R. 
Bartlett,  United  States  commissioner. 

“Considering  the  great  length  of  time  which  is  required  in  crossing 
the  isthmus,  and  the  dangers  to  which  you  would  be  exposed  in  cross- 
ing the  country  through  Texas,  I recommend  that  you  should  proceed 
overland  through  Mexico,  or  up  the  valley  of  the  Gila. 

“I  would  suggest  that  the  commissioner  and  main  body  of  the  party, 
with  the  escort,  have,  in  all  probability,  already  progressed  beyond  the 
white  settlements  of  Texas;  and  that  very  great  difficulty  would  be 
experienced  in  obtaining  for  you  a proper  escort,  which  the  hostility  of 
the  Indians  of  Texas  makes  a matter  of  necessity  at  this  time. 

“Upon  inquiry,  it  cannot  be  learned  that  any  train  or  escort  will 
leave  San  Antonio — after  you  could  possibly  reach  there — for  El  Paso, 
until  next  spring. 

“Being  well  aware  of  the  time  appointed  for  meeting  the  Mexican 
commission  at  El  Paso,  it  would  be  superfluous  to  suggest  to  you  all 
haste  compatible  with  the  safety  of  your  party  and  your  instruments. 

“Your  future  instructions  you  will  receive  from  Mr.  Bartlett. 

“ I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

“WILL.  A.  GRAHAM,  Acting  Secretary . 

“A.  B.  Gray,  Esq., 

“ United  States  Surveyor,  M.  B.  C.,  San  Diego . 

“P.  S. — This  letter  was  intended  for  the  steamer,  but  was  unavoid- 
ably delayed.” 

Mr.  Gray  never  undertook  the  performance  of  the  journey  indicated 
in  this  letter.  At  about  the  same  period  as  its  date  he  left  San  Diego 
and  proceeded  to  Washington,  where  he  arrived  about  the  middle  of 
December,  demonstrating  that  all  reliance  for  instruments,  for  use  at  El 
Paso,  on  the  means  indicated  in  the  foregoing  letter,  had  entirely  failed. 

It  became  known  about  the  10th  of  November  that  Major  Emory  had 
arrived  at  New  York  from  San  Diego,  and,  in  order  to  obtain  from  him 
all  the  information  he  possessed  in  regard  to  the  condition  of  the  instru- 
ments, as  well  as  their  distribution,  a letter  (see  Nos.  18  and  19)  was 
addressed  to  him  by  the  department,  directing  him  to  make  out  a 
return,  founded  on  the  best  information  in  his  possession,  in  explanation 
of  this  matter.  He  reached  Washington  somewhere  about  the  20th  of 
November,  1850,  when  these  instructions  were  made  known  to  him. 
The  return  in  question  was  not  accomplished  until  about  the  8th  of 


S.  Doc.  121. 


7 


January,  1851.  A copy  of  it  was  rendered  to  me  for  my  information, 
at  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  on  the  10th  of  that  month.  It  is 
annexed,  marked  No.  173. 

It  proved  that  all  the  views  I had  expressed,  in  regard  to  the  defi- 
ciency of  instruments  sent  to  El  Paso,  were  substantially  correct ; and 
both  the  Secretary  of  W ar  and  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  when  they 
saw  it,  admitted  that  they  had  been  deceived  in  their  previous  impres- 
sions in  reference  to  this  matter. 

The  return  showed  the  startling  fact,  that,  of  the  two  hundred  and 
thirty-three  items  of  instruments  with  which  I had  originally  fitted  out 
this  boundary  commission,  under  the  orders  of  the  Secretary  of  State, 
(the  Hon.  James  Buchanan,)  in  January,  1849,  added  to  the  twenty 
which  had  been  afterwards  purchased  by  Major  Emory,  making  up  the 
total  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-three,  there  still  remained  at  San  Diego 
and  its  vicinity,  on  the  Pacific  coast,  in  January,  1851 , as  many  as  one 
hundred  and  forty-five  of  these  items,  and  that  only  fitty-three  had 
been  turned  over  to  Lieutenant  Whipple,  to  transport  to  El  Paso — the 
new  point  of  beginning — after  the  adjournment  of  the  commission  at 
San  Diego  on  the  15th  of  February,  1850.  This  number  was  some- 
what augmented  by  the  few  articles  which  Lieutenant  Whipple  after- 
wards received  in  New  York  and  Boston ; but  his  equipment  was  still 
totally  deficient  in  relation  to  the  surveying  department  proper , which 
embraced  the  main  object  in  view,  indeed  the  only  object  recognised 
by  the  law,  namely:  the  running  and  marking  the  line  of  boundary  on 
the  face  of  the  earth,  throughout  its  whole  course,  from  San  Diego,  on 
the  Pacific,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande  or  Bravo  del  Norte,  on  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico — a condition  required  by  the  expressed  terms  of  the 
treaty. 

These  one  hundred  and  forty-five  items,  thus  cut  off  from  ail  avail- 
ability in  the  further  prosecution  of  the  work,  embraced  the  following 
instruments  of  chief  value  for  that  object,  viz: 

7 theodolites,  (including  the  two  which  are  set  down  as  goniome- 
ters,) which  appears  to  be  the  aggregate  borne  upon  the  returns. 

3 (out  of  the  4)  surveyors’  compasses. 

10  (out  of  the  13)  prismatic  compasses,  one  being  missing. 

10  (out  of  the  13)  surveying  chains. 

SO  (out  of  the  110)  marking  pins. 

3 (out  of  the  5)  sextants. 

1 (the  only  one)  parabolic  reflector,  for  use  in  tracing  meridians  and 
parallels  of  latitude. 

Thus  was  it  seen  that  the  main  body  of  the  surveying  apparatus 
proper  was  still,  in  January,  1851,  on  the  Pacific  coast;  and  yet  there 
were  not  at  that  time  more  than  one  hundred  and  forty-five  miles,  or 
thereabouts,  of  survey  to  be  accomplished  on  that  side,  whilst  there 
remained  some  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles  to  be  accomplished 
(including  the  sinuosities  of  the  rivers)  from  El  Paso,  by  working  west- 
ward to  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  and  eastward  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  or  Bravo  del  Norte. 

When  this  state  of  things  was  made  clear  to  the  Department  of  the 
Interior,  that  department  at  once  abandoned  the  idea  of  any  aid  from 
the  instruments  still  on  the  Pacific,  and  orders  were  addressed  to 


8 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Brevet  Captain  Hardcastle,  under  date  of  December  23,  1850,  (seer 
No.  22,)  to  forward  to  New  York  all  that  were  not  necessary  for  him 
to  retain  for  running  out  the  short  line  from  San  Diego  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Gila.  Those  shipped  to  New  York,  I have  understood,  did  not 
reach  that  place  until  several  periods  included  between  October,  1851,. 
and  January,  1852. 

Fortunately,  I had  perceived  the  entanglements  which  surrounded 
this  work  from  an  early  period  after  I was  detailed  for  duty  upon  it, 
and  I had  been  assiduously  devoting  my  attention  and  my  labors  to 
the  only  mode  by  which  I believed  it  could  be  relieved  from  its  em- 
barrassments ; and  this  was,  by  having  a new  equipment  of  instruments 
made  and  by  requesting  the  detail  of  competent  officers  from  the  corps 
of  topographical  engineers  to  head  the  parties  I proposed  to  employ, 
simultaneously,  on  the  different  sections  of  the  work,  in  order  to  its 
early,  as  well  as  its  accurate,  completion.  This  will  appear  by  refer- 
ence to  my  correspondence  with  the  Department  of  the  Interior. 

On  or  about  the  13th  of  January,  1851,  I proceeded  to  New  York 
with  the  apparatus  which  had  been  constructed  here,  and  by  the  19th 
of  the  following  month  the  main  body  of  the  equipment  was  com- 
pleted, adjusted  for  field  use,  safely  packed  in  boxes  suitable  for  land 
transportation,  and  put  on  board  the  schooner  Wra.  H.  Hazard,  of 
New  York,  and  that  vessel  had  sailed  for  Indianola,  on  Matagorda 
bay,  Texas,  with  this  equipment. 

Between  the  period  of  my  reaching  New  York  and  the  sailing  of  this 
vessel — less  than  five  weeks — I was  assiduously  occupied  day  and 
night  in  that  city — in  the  instrument  shops  in  pushing  forward  the 
completion  of  the  instruments  during  the  day,  and  in  testing  their  qual- 
ities and  adjusting  them  at  night  at  the  private  observatory  of 

Rutherford,  esq.,  a gentleman  of  science,  who  has  appropriated  a very 
considerable  portion  of  his  ample  fortune  in  the  erection  of  an  observ- 
atory upon  his  own  grounds,  and  in  furnishing  it  with  some  of  the  best 
instruments  that  could  be  obtained  from  Europe.  Here  he  was  ac- 
customed to  devote  his  leisure  hours  in  exploring  the  heavens  and  in 
laying  up  a store  of  knowledge  satisfactory  to  his  own  mind  and  prac- 
tically useful  to  the  cause  of  science.  His  observatory  is  an  honor  to 
his  native  city.  Mr.  Rutherford  was  in  Europe  at  this  time;  but  his 
young  friend  and  relative,  Mr.  Chandler,  kindly  threw  open  the  observ- 
atory to  our  use,  at  the  same  time  offering  to  us  every  hospitality  that 
could  aid  us  in  our  object,  which  that  beautiful  mansion  afforded. 

My  own  personal  attention  had  also,  in  a great  measure,  to  be  given 
to  the  packing  up  of  the  instruments  in  a manner  to  insure  their  safety 
when  they  should  come  to  be  transported  over-land  from  Indianola  to 
El  Paso.  The  only  experience  which  I had  to  aid  me  was  derived 
from  Lieutenant  George  Thom,  of  the  topographical  engineers — my 
assistant  in  the  northeastern  boundary  office.  Failing  to  obtain  any 
assistance  from  that  corps  to  aid  me  in  the  laborious  preparations  before 
me,  I had  availed  myself  temporarily  of  his  valuable  services,  while 
these  were  going  on  in  New  York. 

There  was  some  camp  equipage  belonging  to  the  government  which 
I had  in  deposite  at  Burlington,  Vermont,  and  the  chronometers  I was 
to  take  out  were  in  deposite  with  William  Crunch  Bond,  esq.,  director 


S.  Doc.  121. 


9 


of  the  observatory  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts.  Lieutenant  Thom 
was  sent  to  Burlington  to  forward  on  the  camp  equipage,  at  the  same 
time  that  I was  obliged  myself  to  go  to  Cambridge  to  see  after  the 
chronometers,  their  rates,  their  proper  packing,  &c.,  for  I had  no  officer 
to  aid  me  in  these  details  except  Lieutenant  Thom,  and  these  valua- 
ble and  delicate  instruments  could  not  be  trusted  to  inexperienced 
hands.  Jn  order  to  save  time  we  both  started  from  New  York  in  the 
evening  of  the  28th  of  January,  and  travelled  all  night.  On  the  31st, 
at  mid-day,  I had  accomplished  my  object ; and  again  starting  on  the 
afternoon  of  that  day  and  travelling  at  night,  I was  back  in  New  York 
by  about  midnight  of  the  same  day,  with  the  chronometers  in  perfect 
order  for  the  expedition.  My  absence  from  New  York  did  not  exceed 
eighty  hours.  Lieutenant  Thom  had  accomplished  the  duty  committed 
to  him  and  was  back  in  New  York  within  two  or  three  hours  of  the 
same  time. 

On  the  afternoon  of  February  1st  I was  obliged  to  go  to  West 
Point,  to  get  some  instruments  that  were  deposited  there,  and  which  I 
had  used  on  the  northeastern  boundary.  On  the  morning  of  the  4th 
(a  Sunday  having  intervened)  I was  back  in  New  York  with  these 
instruments,  having  in  the  mean  time  joined  with  Professor  W.  H.  C. 
Bartlett  in  a careful  examination  of  them,  to  satisfy  ourselves  that  they 
were  in  good  order,  and  having  also  seen  to  their  being  securely  re- 
packed for  transportation. 

With  the  exception  of  these  necessary  absences,  every  moment  of 
my  time  was  devoted  to  the  preparations  going  on  in  New  York,  up  to 
the  time  of  the  schooner’s  sailing  for  Indianola. 

I trust,  sir,  you  wall  pardon  my  being  thus  particular  upon  a point 
which  may  appear  to  you  unimportant.  I have  done  so  because  I desire 
to  account  to  you  for  the  manner  in  which  my  time  was  employed 
during  all  these  preparations. 

About  a week  before  the  schooner  sailed  wTith  the  instruments  for 
Indianola,  I received  from  the  chief  clerk  of  the  Department  of  the 
Interior  a letter,  a Copy  of  which  is  attached,  marked  No.  45. 

Although  this  letter  is  not  in  the  usual  official  form,  yet,  considering 
the  importance  of  its  contents  and  of  the  measures  of  reform  in  the  com- 
mission, which  ensued  from  my  visit  to  Washington  under  the  invitation 
it  contained,  it  will  scarcely  be  denied  that  I would  have  been  censured 
had  I not  complied  with  it.  The  motive  of  the  letter,  as  I understood 
it  then  and  have  since,  wras  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  expedition. 

I obeyed  its  injunction  ; and  in  having  done  so,  I desire  to  cast  no  re- 
sponsibility, which  should  justly  fall  upon  me,  to  the  shoulders  of 
another.  I was  solely  actuated  by  the  intense  desire  I felt  to  do  all 
in  my  power  to  promote  the  public  interests.  In  my  letter  to  the  de- 
partment, dated  at  New  York,  February  21st,  I mentioned  my  intention 
to  proceed  by  land,  via  Washington,  to  Indianola. 

With  that  letter  was  forwarded  a return  of  the  instruments  which 
were  shipped  in  the  schooner.  [See  No.  47.] 

On  my  arrival  at  Washington  I reported  myself  in  person  at  the 
Department  of  the  Interior. 

A letter  from  Mr.  Commissioner  Bartlett,  dated  at  El  Paso,  in  De- 
cember, 1S50 — I think  the  one  alluded  to  in  Mr.  Goddard’s  letter  to 


10 


S.  Doc.  121. 


me — was  put  into  my  hands  for  perusal.  It  embraced,  among  other 
things,  three  very  important  points,  namely: 

That  Mr.  Bartlett  had  discovered  that  his  surveying  corps  was  com- 
posed of  a large  number  of  young  gentlemen  who  were  unqualified 
for  the  duties  they  were  required  to  perform,  and  that,  while  the  Mex- 
ican commissioner  was  aided  by  several  officers  of  the  Mexican 
engineer  corps,  the  American  commission  had  the  services  of  but 
one  engineer  officer,  namely,  Lieutenant  Whipple,  who  appeared  to  be 
the  only  one  competent  to  co-operate  with  them,  or  words  to  that  effect. 
That  he  (Mr.  Bartlett)  was  at  El  Paso  almost  destitute  of  proper 
surveying  instruments.  That  he  had  sent  Mr.  Sanford  to  New'  Orleans 
to  aid  in  the  purchase  of  provisions  with  instructions,  when  that  was 
done,  to  go  to  New  York  and  purchase  a set  of  surveying  instruments 
for  the  American  commission. 

The  same  letter  intimated  some  dissatisfaction  with  his  quartermas- 
ter, and  at  the  same  time  stated  that  it  was  Mr.  Commissioner  Bartlett’s 
original  wish  that  the  said  post  should  have  been  filled  by  an  officer 
of  the  army. 

Uneasiness  was  expressed  at  the  Department  of  the  Interior  in  re- 
gard to  the  expenditures,  and  I was  asked  by  the  chief  clerk  if  I 
thought  I could  obtain  the  detail  of  an  army  officer,  to  take  the  charge 
of  that  department ; at  the  same  time  adding,  that  if  I could,  the  con- 
trol of  its  expenditures  would  be  put  under  my  direction,  if  I would 
undertake  it.  I expressed  my  readiness  to  undertake  the  duty,  if  the 
department  washed  it. 

I expressed  the  belief,  that  if  the  quartermaster  was  taken  from  the 
army  it  would  be  better  that  the  commissary  should  be  also. 

I was  answered  by  the  chief  clerk,  that  if  I could  obtain  the  detail 
of  tw  o army  officers,  both  posts  would  be  thus  filled  and  placed  under 
my  direction,  provided  I would  undertake  the  responsibility  of  keep- 
ing the  expenditures  within  the  amount  appropriated  for  this  work. 
Accordingly,  the  plan  set  forth  in  my  letter  of  the  6th  of  March,  1851,* 
was  submitted  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior.  It  w^as  approved, 
and  was  made  the  basis  of  an  application  to  the  War  Department  for 
the  two  army  officers  to  fill  the  posts  suggested  in  that  letter. 

The  War  Department  answered  the  call  favorably,  and  Commis- 
sioner Bartlett  was  instructed  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  under 
date,  I think,  of  March  11,  1851,  forthwith  to  discharge  the  quarter- 
master and  commissary  then  in  service  ; and  was  informed  that  the  army 
officers  detailed  for  those  posts  would  report  to  me,  and  that  I w'ould 
be  held  responsible  to  him  for  those  departments. 

The  General-in-chief  had,  in  a personal  interview  on  the  subject* 
informed  me  that  the  selections  must  be  so  made  as  not  to  leave  any 
one  company  with  less  than  two  officers  for  actual  duty  with  it,  and 
that  no  officer  of  the  general  or  regimental  staff  could  be  detailed,  nor 
could  any  officer  be  taken  from  a horse  artillery  company. 

These  restrictions,  which  wrere  deemed  necessary  to  protect  the  dis- 
cipline and  interests  of  the  regimental  service,  veiy  much  diminished 
the  number  of  officers,  within  convenient  reach,  from  wrhich  the  detail 


* See  Appendix,  No.  51. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


11 


could  be  made.  It  was,  moreover,  stated,  as  a condition,  that  I must 
go  into  the  Adjutant  General’s  office,  and,  with  the  aid  of  one  of  the 
assistants,  ascertain  the  names  of  such  as  would  fall  under  the  rule 
prescribed,  without  interrupting  the  Adjutant  General,  who  was  too 
much  occupied  with  matters  concerning  the  military  service  to  allow 
of  his  being  interrupted. 

Whilst  I was  thus  engaged,  and  in  writing  to  such  as  were  found  to 
fall  within  the  rule  to  know  if  they  would  accept  the  situations,  I occa- 
sionally called  at  the  Department  of  the  Interior  and  made  known  the 
manner  in  which  I was  employed.  During  one  of  these  visits  two  let- 
ters were  put  into  my  hands  by  the  chief  clerk  of  the  Department  of 
the  Interior,  stating  that  he  did  so  by  request  of  the  Secretary,  who 
wished  me  to  peruse  them  and  then  come  to  him  and  give  him  my 
views  in  regard  to  the  matter  they  contained. 

One  of  these  letters  was  from  Commissioner  Bartlett  to  a gentleman 
then  in  this  city,  written  at  El  Paso  in  December,  1850,  in  which  Mr. 
Bartlett  entered  into  a pretty  full  detail  of  the  manner  in  which  his 
settlement  of  the  initial  point  on  the  Rio  Grande  with  General  Conde, 
the  Mexican  commissioner,  had  been  arrived  at.  This  amounted  to  a 
negotiation  between  the  parties,  in  which  it  appeared  that  Mr.  Bartlett 
claimed  to  have  gained  in  longitude  upon  the  extent  of  the  southern 
boundary  of  New  Mexico  westward  from  the  Rio  Grande,  in  consid- 
eration of  his  having  yielded  latitude  in  fixing  upon  the  point  where 
that  boundary  should  depart  from  the  said  river.  The  extent  of  longi- 
tude agreed  upon  was  three  degrees,  and  the  latitude  32°  22 

The  other  letter  alluded  to  was  addressed  to  the  President  by  the 
gentleman  who  had  received  the  letter  from  Mr.  Bartlett,  which  he  at 
the  same  time  enclosed  to  the  President,  and  made  it  the  basis  of  a 
complaint  against  Mr.  Bartlett’s  line. 

These  letters  were,  by  the  President’s  endorsement,  referred  to  the 
Department  of  the  Interior,  and  were  thus  committed  to  the  official 
custody  of  that  department. 

After  finishing  the  perusal  of  these  letters,  I was  admitted  into  the 
room  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  to  whom  I gave  it  as  my  opinion 
that  the  line  which  Mr.  Bartlett  proposed  to  adopt  for  the  southern 
boundary  of  New  Mexico  was  not  the  line  laid  down  as  such  on  the 
treaty  map.  That  instead  of  running  the  line  in  accordance  with  its 
relative  position  to  the  town  of  Paso,  as  these  were  laid  down  upon 
the  map,  and  referred  to  in  the  treaty,  the  commissioners  of  the 
two  governments  had  undertaken  to  interpolate  upon  the  5th  article 
of  the  treaty  by  negotiating  a new  line,  taking  as  their  guide  the 
imaginary  lines  of  latitude  and  longitude  as  laid  down  on  the  map. 
That  these  imaginary  lines  were  not  referred  to  in  the  treaty,  but 
that  the  town  of  Paso  was  referred  to;  and  I gave  it  as  my  opinion  that 
there  ought  to  have  been  no  difficulty  whatever  in  finding  the  proper 
point  on  the  Rio  Grande.  That  all  negotiation  upon  the  subject  had 
been  accomplished  by  the  parties  to  the  treaty,  and  that  the  powers  of 
the  joint  commission  under  the  5th  article  were,  of  necessity,  limited 
to  the  mere  running  and  marking  the  lines  therein  defined. 

In  one  of  Mr.  Bartlett’s  letters,  which  I read  in  the  department, 
there  was  an  expression  that  he  was  bound  to  go  by  Disturnell’s  map. 


12 


S.  Doc.  121. 


right,  or  wrong,  or  words  to  that  effect.  I observed  to  the  honorable 
Secretary,  that  if*  by  the  term  “latitude  32°  22',  as  laid  down  on  Dis- 
turnelPs  map,”  was  meant  the  point  de  facto  on  the  Rio  Grande  which 
would  be  intersected  by  latitude  32°  22'  on  Disturnell’s  map,  it  would 
be  the  same  thing  as  to  refer  to  the  position  of  the  town  of  El  Paso,  by 
the  scale  of  the  map;  but  that  if  it  was  meant  that  the  point  in  32°  22' 
was  to  be  derived  from  actual  observation,  I would  not  put  my  instru- 
ment up  at  that  point,  because  it  would  not  be  in  accordance  with  the 
treaty.  That  the  parallels  of  latitude  and  meridians,  drawn  upon  that 
part  of  Disturnell’s  map  which  embraced  Western  Texas  and  New  Mex- 
ico, had  evidently  not  been  derived  from  observation,  because  they  were 
very  erroneous.  I requested  the  honorable  Secretary  to  allow  me  to 
bring  to  him  from  the  Topographical  Bureau  the  manuscript  map  of 
Col.  J.  E.  Johnston,  of  the  topographical  engineer  corps,  upon  which 
was  laid  down,  from  actual  surveys  and  astronomical  observations 
made  by  that  officer  in  the  year  1849,  a large  portion  of  the  Rio  Grande 
and  the  adjacent  country,  extending  from  Presidio  del  Norte  to  some 
distance  above  Dona  Ana,  in  order  that  he  might  see,  upon  a map 
having  the  parallels  of  latitude  and  the  meridians  of  longitude  cor- 
rectly laid  down,  what  would  be  the  effect  of  beginning  the  southern 
boundary  of  New  Mexico  at  latitude  32°  22'  upon  the  Rio  Grande,  de- 
rived from  observation. 

This  was  on  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  March,  1851.  The  Secre- 
tary replied  that  his  engagements  would  not  allow  of  his  looking  at  the 
map  that  day,  but  he  appointed  the  next  morning,  at  half-past  nine 
o’clock,  I think,  to  do  so,  at  which  time  I was  at  the  department  with 
the  map.  I was  told  when  I arrived  that  the  Secretary  was  engaged, 
and  I went  into  the  chief  clerk’s  room  to  wait  until  the  Secretary  could 
see  me.  I made  frequent  applications  to  know  if  I could  be  admitted; 
I was  as  frequently  denied,  until,  about  eleven  or  twelve  o’clock,  I was 
told  that  the  Secretary  had  gone  to  cabinet  meeting,  and  could  not  see 
me.  I asked  an  opportunity  to  make  the  explanations  to  the  chief 
clerk  for  the  information  of  the  Secretary;  but  he  declined,  saying  he 
had  an  engagement  away  from  the  office  that  morning.  I felt  that  it 
was  a matter  of  the  utmost  importance  that  there  should  be  a full  un- 
derstanding between  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and 
myself  in  regard  to  this  important  question  before  I should  leave  Wash- 
ington, and  I requested  his  secretary,  Mr.  Briscoe  G.  Baldwin,  to  per- 
mit me  to  make  the  explanations  to  him,  in  order  that,  through  him, 
they  might  be  conveyed  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  in  case  I 
should  fail  to  see  him.  This  was  assented  to  by  Mr.  Baldwin,  and 
we  retired  to  his  room  with  the  manuscript  map. 

In  a short  time,  aided  by  this  map,  Mr.  Baldwin  became,  as  I under- 
stood from  him,  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  correctness  of  my  views, 
and  said  it  seemed  to  him  very  desirable  that  the  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior should  have  an  opportunity  of  receiving  the  same  explanations. 
I accordingly  stated  that  1 would  call  at  the  department  again,  early 
the  following  morning,  with  that  object,  and  I took  my  leave,  leaving 
the  map  at  the  Department  of  the  Interior. 

On  the  evening  of  this  day,  the  20th  of  March,  I received  an  intima- 
tion which  I regarded  as  equivalent  to  an  order  that  I should  leave 


S.  Doc.  121. 


13 


Washington  on  the  following  morning.  I had  no  alternative  but  to  obey, 
and  I accordingly  did  so,  believing  that  I would  be  sustained  in  the 
views  I had  so  clearly  expressed  in  regard  to  this  line. 

I was  very  desirous  that  the  officers  designed  to  take  charge  of  the 
quartermaster’s  and  commissariat  departments  of  the  scientific  corps 
should  accompany  me,  but  they  had  not  yet  been  detailed.  Their  ser- 
vices would  have  been  a great  aid  to  me  in  the  transportation  to  San 
Antonio  of  the  equipment  I had  prepared. 

I proceeded,  not  by  way  of  New  York,  as  the  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior states  in  his  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  of  the  11th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1851,  but  by  way  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  to  New 
Orleans,  and  thence  by  way  of  Indianola  and  San  Antonio  to  El  Paso, 
where,  on  the  24th  of  June,  1851,  I arrived  with  the  advance  of  that 
very  escort  and  wagon  train  which  Mr.  Gray  was  instructed  by  the 
Department  of  the  Interior,  under  date  of  October  23,  1850,  (the  day 
that  I also  received  my  instructions  from  that  department)  would  be  the 
first  to  leave  San  Antonio  for  that  place. 

Not  only  did  I accomplish  this,  but  I carried  with  me  and  delivered 
in  perfect  safety,  without  even  the  breaking  of  a thermometer,  that  val- 
uable and  complete  equipment  of  surveying  and  other  apparatus  which, 
by  my  almost  unaided  perseverance,  continued  day  and  night,  I had 
prepared,  and  without  which  the  surveying  corps  of  the  American  com- 
mission would  have  remained  for  many  months  to  come  paralyzed  and 
steeped  in  idleness,  just  as  it  had  been,  with  the  exception  of  a single 
working  party,  for  eight  months  before  I relieved  it  from  this  unfor- 
tunate dilemma. 

I presume  I need  not  enter  into  any  detail,  other  than  is  contained  in  the 
correspondence,  of  occurrences  between  my  leaving  Washington  and  my 
arrival  at  El  Paso,  further  than  to  state  that  while  at  San  Antonio,  where 
for  the  first  time  I met  Mr.  William  T.  Smith,  about  the  12th  of  May, 
1851,  he  exhibited  tome  the  contract  (hereto  attached,  marked  No.  79) 
between  the  former  commissary  of  the  boundary  commission  and  J. 
Me  iria  Ponce  de  Leon,  of  El  Paso,  whose  agent  Mr.  Smith  was,  for  the 
transportation  of  provisions,  &c.,  and  informed  me  that  he  was  directed 
by  that  commissary  to  take  up  some  barrels  of  whiskey  at  Fort  Inge, 
on  Leona  river,  and  carry  them  forward  to  El  Paso.  This  I prohibit- 
ed, as  I conceived  I had  a right  to  do  from  my  understanding  of  the 
responsibilities  which  were  expected  of  me.  I had  heard,  on  my  arri- 
val at  San  Antonio,  of  some  most  unfortunate  occurrences  in  the  com- 
mission, while  on  the  march  to  El  Paso  the  year  previous,  and  after  its 
arrival  there,  which  there  appeared  but  too  much  reason  to  attribute  to 
the  influence  of  the  ardent  spirits  transported  in  the  public  train  and 
daily  issued.  It  was  for  this  reason  that,  in  my  order  of  the  12th  of 
May,  marked  No.  4#,  I felt  myself  called  upon  to  exclude  that  article 
altogether  from  the  subsistence  stores,  and  to  prohibit  its  future  pur- 
chase or  transportation  among  the  commissary’s  stores  of  the  commission. 

The  circumstances  attending  my  march  from  San  Antonio  to  El 
Paso,  and  the  date  of  my  arrival  there,  were  made  known  to  you  by 
my  report  to  you,  dated  June  30th,  1851.  They  were  mentioned,  to- 


See  Appendix  No.  66— Doc.  H,  thereto  attached. 


14 


S.  Doc.  121. 


ge ther  with  other  matters  connected  with  the  commission,  in  somewhat 
more  minute  detail,  in  my  report  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior  of 
the  following  day,  a copy  of  which  is  appended,  marked  No.  78. 

In  that  report  I stated  that  I had  despatched,  on  the  26th  of  June,  an 
express  to  Mr.  Commissioner  Bartlett,  then  at  the  Copper  Mines,  (of 
Santa  Rita,  in  New  Mexico,)  informing  him  that,  understanding  he  was 
expected  at  El  Paso  in  a few  days,  I would  await  his  arrival  there, 
and  that,  on  the  return  of  my  express,  if  informed  that  Mr.  Bartlett  did 
not  design  coming,  I should  proceed  to  join  him. 

By  this  express,  my  letter  to  Mr.  Bartlett,  of  June  26,  (see  No.  71,) 
reached  him  at  the  Copper  Mines  on  the  29th. 

He  did  not  answer  me  by  express,  as  he  was  bound,  I conceive,  to 
do,  out  of  regard  to  the  public  interests;  but  waited  to  do  so  until  a 
wagon  train  was  coming  down  for  provisions,  under  charge  of  the  late 
quartermaster,  Mr.  Myer,  by  whose  hands  I received  that  answer, 
(hereto  attached,  marked  No.  72,)  on  the  evening  of  the  8th  of  July, 
near  sunset. 

By  the  same  express,  my  letters  to  Lieutenant  Whipple,  of  June  26, 
(see  Nos.  73  and  74,)  reached  him  at  his  station  on  the  river  Mimbres 
on  the  evening  of  the  28th,  this  point  being  upon  the  route.  On  the 
return  of  the  express  to  Frontera,  which  was  on  the  3d  of  July,  I re- 
ceived answers  from  Lieutenant  Whipple,  dated  June  29,  copies  of 
which  are  appended,  marked  75  and  76. 

By  this  correspondence  it  will  be  seen  that  the  American  and  the 
Mexican  commissioners  both  knew  full  well  that  I had  ordered  Lieuten- 
ant Whipple  in,  and  of  his  intention  to  obey  the  order.  I cannot 
reconcile  this  with  what  is  contained  in  Mr.  Bartlett’s  letter,  of  July 
11,  to  the  Mexican  commissioner,  on  this  subject.  Had  Mr.  Bartlett 
answered  my  letter  of  the  26th  of  June  by  express,  I should  have 
received  it  by  the  3d  or  4th  of  July,  and  should  have  proceeded  on 
horseback  with  a small  party  to  join  him  at  the  Copper  Mines.  But, 
even  in  that  case,  it  would  have  been  necessary  for  me  to  return  to 
Frontera  before  I could  have  entered  with  him  on  the  duty  of  reorgan- 
izing the  scientific  corps,  because  all  the  note-books  containing  the  sur- 
veys that  had  been  made  before  my  arrival  were  deposited  there,* 
and  much  of  this  work  had  never  been  plotted — a thing  which  was  still 
to  be  done,  to  enable  me,  by  comparing  the  work  of  the  different  in- 
dividuals, to  select,  in  the  great  reduction  which  had  to  be  made,  those 
possessing  the  best  qualifications.  For  me  to  have  entered  blindly 


* I allude  here  to  the  surveys  of  the  route  travelled  by  the  commission  from  Indianola  to 
San  Elizario,  (the  old  fort  or  prtsidio  of  the  Paso  del  JNorte.)  Upon  that  march  Lieutenant 
Whipple  undertook,  under  the  orders  of  Colonel  McClellan,  to  survey  the  route.  Lieuten- 
ant Whipple’s  plan  for  correcting  the  run  of  that  rapid  work,  by  frequent  astronomical 
observations,  made  by  himself,  for  latitude  and  longitude,  was  similar  to  that  which  had  been 
pursued  in  the  surveys  of  our  northeastern  boundary;  and  his  results  were  very  satisfactory. 
A portion  only  of  this  survey  had  been  plotted  when  I reached  El  Paso,  there  being  some 
difficulty  attending  the  plotting  of  other  portions. 

Upon  this  reconnaissance  or  rapid  survey,  Lieutenant  Whipple  had,  in  addition  to  his 
astronomical  labors,  and  his  personal  supervision  of  the  surveying  parties,  obtained  a mag- 
netic profile,  by  his  own  observations,  of  the  variation,  dip,  and  intensity  of  the  needle, 
extending  about  eight  hundred  miles,  from  Indianola  to  El  Paso.  This  profile  was  after- 
wards extended  by  that  talented  and  enterprising  officer  entirely  across  the  American  conti- 
nent, terminating  at  San  Diego,  as  will  appear  by  his  report  to  me,  dated  at  San  Diego, 
California,  January  10,  1852.  (See  Appendix,  No.  171.)  J.  D.  G. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


15 


upon  this  very  delicate  and  important  duty,  the  first  step  committed 
jointly  to  the  American  commissioner  and  myself  by  our  instructions 
of  the  2*3d  of  October,  1850,  would  have  been  an  act  of  injustice,  both 
to  those  individuals  having  the  best  claims  to  be  retained,  and  to  the 
government.  It  was  only  by  examining  their  works  attentively,  and 
by  conversing  with  them  freely  upon  those  particular  branches  of 
science  it  was  essential  they  should  understand,  that  this  duty  could 
be  rightfully  performed.  To  have  gone  about  it  otherwise  would  have 
been  merely  increasing  the  embarrassment  which  already  surrounded 
the  American  commission  in  a most  unfortunate  degree.  I was  sur- 
prised then,  and  am  still,  that  Mr.  Bartlett  did  not  perceive  what  an 
advantage  it  would  have  been  to  the  organization  contemplated  had  he 
come  at  once  to  F rontera,  to  undertake  with  me,  there,  this  important 
measure,  even  though  it  should  have  required  him  to  commit  to  his 
clerks,  several  of  whom  were  about  him,  the  making  up  of  his  ac- 
counts, &c.,  which  he  alludes  to  in  his  letter  to  me  of  July  1,  1851,  as 
though  it  were  the  chief  obstacle  to  his  so  doing.  The  rancho  of  Fron- 
tera  was  hired  for  the  express  object  of  establishing  an  observatory 
there,  and  making  it  the  repository  of  the  scientific  work  as  it  should 
progress;  and  Mr.  Bartlett  well  knew  that  it  was  there  alone  that  refer- 
ence could  be  had  to  the  only  practical  guide  that  ought  to  govern  us 
in  this  all-important  step.  He  knew  also  how  important — how  neces- 
sary, I should  say — Lieutenant  Whipple’s  advice  would  be  to  us ; for, 
to  that  officer  he  had  committed  the  responsibility  of  organizing  all  the 
parties  that  had  undertaken,  or  which  it  was  proposed  should  under- 
take, (but  never  did)  work  upon  the  line;  and  they  were  all  placed 
under  his  general  supervision  and  instructions,  before  my  arrival. 

Not  hearing  from  Mr.  Bartlett  caused  me  to  infer  that  he  was  ac- 
tually on  his  way  down  to  Frontera. 

Lieut.  Whipple  had  arrived  there,  and  we  had  already  entered  upon 
the  examination  of  the  note-books  and  plots  I have  alluded  to,  before  I 
received  Mr.  Bartlett’s  letter  of  the  1st  of  July,  informing  me  he  was 
not  coming.  And  yet  Lieutenant  Whipple  had  much  to  do  in  pro- 
viding for  his  party  in  his  absence,  and  in  collecting  the  information  I 
required  him  to  bring  with  him,  before  he  could  start.  Mr.  Bartlett’s 
position  was  only  one  day’s  march  beyond  Mr.  Whipple’s. 

Although  Mr.  Bartlett  had  gone  from  El  Paso  to  the  Mines  of  Santa 
Rita,  in  April,  1851,  and  had  there  with  him  much  the  greater  portion 
of  the  surveying  corps,  and  an  aggregate  of  more  than  one  hundred 
(perhaps  one  hundred  and  twenty)  individuals  under  pay  and  sub- 
sistence, not  a single  mile  had  been  surveyed  upon  the  boundary  line, 
between  that  time  and  the  August  following,  by  that  overgrown  corps. 

The  only  thing  of  interest  that  was  going  on  there  was  a meteoro- 
logical register  that  was  faithfully  kept  by  Mr.  Henry  C.  Force,  a very 
intelligent  young  gentleman  attached  to  the  commission,  aided,  perhaps, 
by  an  assistant.  Not  even  had  the  environs  of  that  interesting  place 
been  surveyed,  nor  had  a single  observation  been  made  for  the  latitude 
or  longitude,  the  magnetic  declination,  dip,  or  intensity,  until  after  my 
arrival  there,  when  they  were  all  accomplished  under  the  new  system 
which  was  then  adopted,  of  dividing  the  work  into  two  divisions,  and 


16  S.  Doc.  121. 

those  again  into  subdivisions,  to  be  put  under  survey  at  one  and  the 
same  time. 

Now,  although  Mr.  Bartlett  states  in  his  letter  to  me  of  the  1st  of 
July,  1851,  that  no  one  was  authorized  to  say  he  intended  visiting  El 
Paso  at  that  time,  I owe  it  to  myself  to  remark  that  two  gentlemen  at 
least,  and  of  the  highest  character,  assured  me,  on  my  arrival  at  El  Paso, 
that  the  American  commissioner  engaged  with  them,  on  leaving  El 
Paso,  in  April,  to  be  back  there  in  the  latter  part  of  the  month  of  June 
to  settle  up  some  important  business  with  them,  and  I rather  think  he 
disappointed  them  in  not  coming.  It  will  be  seen  that  I did  not  rely 
solely  upon  this  unofficial  information,  although  I had  a right  to  con- 
sider it  authentic.  I promptly  sent  an  express  to  him ; and  I presume 
that  he  alone  is  responsible  for  the  indifference  with  which  he  treated 
it,  being,  as  it  was,  upon  official  business  of  the  first  importance. 

Before  the  arrival  of  Lieutenant  Whipple,  it  was  well  known  about 
El  Paso  that  in  addition  to  the  labor  of  investigating  the  notes  of  the 
surveys  before  alluded  to,  I spent  a portion  of  my  time  in  reconnoitring 
and  obtaining  information  in  regard  to  the  localities. 

The  first  impressions  I received  of  this  line,  added  to  the  fact  that 
had  become  known  to  me  since  sending  my  first  despatch,  thtit  there 
was  no  assistant  with  Mr.  Whipple’s  party  competent  to  continue  his 
astronomical  work,  induced  me  to  send  a second  despatch  to  him,  on 
the  29th  of  June,  to  suspend  his  operations  until  I could  have  an  op- 
portunity of  inspecting  the  line,  (see  Appendix  No.  81.)  This  despa  tch 
missed  him  on  the  way,  and  did  not  reach  him  until  long  after  he  had 
obeyed  the  first  one — not,  indeed,  until  after  he  had  completed  the  duty  I 
required  of  him  atFrontera,  and  had  returned  to  the  Mines  of  Santa  Rita. 

In  my  reconnaissances  about  El  Paso,  I had  no  difficulty  in  finding 
the  point  indicated  upon  the  treaty  map  as  “ La  Salincra ,”  (the  Sa- 
line.) The  town  of  Paso  is  one  of  the  oldest  missionary  settlements 
established  in  northern  Mexico  after  the  conquest.  It  is  at  least  two 
hundred  years  old.  This  “ Salinera ” is  a natural  formation  of  salt  on 
the  surface  of  the  earth,  to  which  it  is  well  known  the  inhabitants  of 
El  Paso  have  been  accustomed  to  resort  for  a partial  supply  of  that 
article  for  a great  many  years,  perhaps  a century. 

There  we  find  a basin  or  depression  in  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
which,  in  the  rainy  season,  becomes  filled  with  water,  and  the  earth  is 
saturated  to  a certain  depth.  When  the  hot  and  dry  season  comes  on, 
the  water  is  rapidly  evaporated  from  this  elevated  position,  near  four 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  common  salt  is  formed 
upon  the  surface. 

I visited  it,  accompanied  by  a guide,  on  horseback.  We  forded  the 
Rio  Grande  at  Frontera,  and  he  conducted  me  immediately  to  the 
spot.  I dismounted  from  my  horse  and  raked  up  a double  hand-full 
of  salt,  which,  on  my  return,  I gave  to  Mr.  T.  F.  Moss,  the  geologist 
and  mining  engineer  of  the  commission.  He  then,  on  the  same  day, 
made  a visit  to  the  spot,  and  I presume  a notice  of  this  locality  would 
have  been  embraced  in  his  report  had  he  not  been  soon  afterwards 
discharged  from  the  commission.  This  was  done  by  the  United  States 
commissioner  contrary  to  my  expressed  wish,  notwithstanding  that  the 
instructions  of  October  23,  1850,  gave  me  an  equal  voice  with  himself 
in  the  selections  for  the  scientific  corps. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


17 


The  position  of  this  “ Salinera,”  compared  with  the  old  church  or 
with  the  plaza  of  El  Paso,  corresponds  with  that  which  is  given  to  it 
upon  the  treaty  map,  as  near  as  the  scale  of  that  map  will  allow  of  a 
comparison.  It  is  about  six  miles  in  a direct  line  from  the  plaza,  and 
is  situated  upon  the  west  or  Mexican  side  of  the  river. 

The  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico,  as  laid  down  upon  the 
treaty  map,  passes  about  two  and  a quarter  miles  north  of  it,  measured 
in  the  shortest  direction  upon  a due  north  and  south  line.  I was  as- 
sured by  my  guide,  an  American  gentleman  of  intelligence,  who  had 
been  a resident  of  El  Paso,  or  rather  of  its  immediate  vicinity  on  the 
American  side,  for  four  or  five  years,  that  the  supply  obtained  here 
annually,  although  comparatively  small,  was  nevertheless  considered 
important  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Paso,  because  the  expense 
of  transportation  from  a long  distance  upon  this  heavy  article  renders 
it  very  costly  here.  Its  surface  is  several  acres  in  area,  in  detached 
spots,  but  close  together.  I witnessed  it  as  white  as  snow,  and  so  did 
Professor  Moss. 

I could  not  but  regard  this  as  a natural  monument,  well  known 
when  the  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico  was  fixed  by  the  Con- 
gress of  that  republic,  and  made  a very  different  thing  from  what  it 
was  under  the  dominion  of  Spain — a period  when  we  looked  to  Hum- 
boldt for  authority  respecting  the  division  lines  of  the  provinces  of  Mex- 
ico, but  which  we  no  longer  do,  in  regard  to  northern  Mexico,  at  least. 

It  might  very  well  be  inferred  that  the  claim  which  the  inhabitants 
of  the  ancient  town  of  Paso  would  prefer,  to  be  left  in  possession  of 
this  natural  gift,  would  prevail  in  causing  it  to  be  transferred,  with  the 
town,  from  New  Mexico  to  Chihuahua,  which  was  done  in  the  year 
1824,  when  the  limits  were  changed.*  A natural  object  like  this, 
known  from  an  early  period  of  this  ancient  missionary  settlement,  cor- 
roborating as  it  does  the  position  of  the  line  when  compared  directly 
with  El  Paso  itself,  ought  not,  I presumed,  to  have  been  disregarded 
in  the  search  after  the  initial  point  on  the  Rio  Grande.  I therefore  re- 
quested an  explanation  from  Lieutenant  Whipple  how  he  came  to  be 
running  the  line  so  far  to  the  north.  He  informed  me  he  had  advised 
against  it,  and  referred  me  to  his  written  opinion  given  to  Mr.  Bartlett 
on  the  occasion,  contained  in  the  accompanying  paper,  marked  No.  186. 

That  officer  is  in  no  way,  therefore,  responsible  for  the  agreement 
between  the  commissioners  in  regard  to  this  line.  He  had  given  his 
professional  opinion,  when  called  on,  in  reference  to  it,  and  he  was 
vested  with  no  authority  to  go  further.  He  was  not  admilted  into  the 
councils,  and  had  no  voice  in  the  discussions  which  took  place  there 
upon  the  subject.  What  he  afterwards  did  upon  that  line  was,  I pre- 
sume, in  the  capacity  of  a subordinate,  subject,  as  he  supposed  himself 
to  be,  to  the  orders  of  the  American  commissioner. 

After  the  ascertainment  of  these  facts,  it  would  have  been  impossi- 
ble for  me,  consistently  with  my  sense  of  what  was  due  to  my  own 
country,  and  to  the  responsible  position  which  was  assigned  me  on 
this  commission,  to  have  gone  on  with  that  line.  Some  of  the  most 


*See  the  decrees  of  the  Mexican  Congress  of  the  6th  and  27th  of  July,  1824. 

2 


J.  D.  G. 


18 


S.  Doc.  121. 


important  of  these  facts  I had  too  much  reason  to  believe  had  never  been 
communicated  to  the  government  at  Washington. 

In  fact,  from  all  the  information  I obtained  at  El  Paso  and  its  vicin- 
ity, I was  left  under  the  belief,  and  am  still,  that  no  reconnaissance, 
no  examination,  was  ever  made  by  the  American  commissioner — nor 
was  his  surveying  corps  called  upon  to  make  any — in  order  to 
search  after  natural  objects  as  guides  in  fixing  the  point  of  departure 
upon  the  Rio  Grande,  so  as  to  make  it  consistent  with  its  relative  posi- 
tion, compared  with  the  ancient  town  of  El  Paso,  as  represented  upon 
the  treaty  map.  It  would  even  have  been  competent  for  him  to  have 
insisted  that  the  records  of  the  town  of  El  Paso  should  be  produced, 
or  that  the  oral  testimony  of  the  town  functionaries  should  be  taken, 
upon  oath,  in  order  to  prove  the  extent  of  the  jurisdiction  of  Chihuahua 
since  it  had  become  a State  of  the  Mexican  republic. 

Rut  nothing  of  this  sort  was  done.  In  lieu  of  this,  maps  were 
allowed  to  be  brought  into  the  board,  which  should  never  have  been 
admitted  there. 

A course  of  discussions  ensued,  which  only  tended  to  mystify  the 
subject;  and  then,  to  get  rid  of  the  mesh  of  confusion  which  had  been 
thus  brought  about  it,  negotiations  w*ere  entered  into,  giving  away 
American  territory,  when,  in  fact,  nothing  but  the  solution  of  a practi- 
cal and  simple  problem  was  necessary  in  order  to  mark  the  line  upon 
the  ground,  in  conformity  with  the  treaty  map,  and  with  the  plain  text 
of  that  instrument. 

The  party  which  I found  stationed  at  Frontera,  when  I arrived 
there,  consisted  of  five  of  the  assistants  attached  to  the  scientific 
corps,  and  three  or  four  men  who  were  attending  upon  them  in 
the  capacity  of  laborers,  servants,  &c.  This  place  was  in  fact 
the  headquarters,  or  general  repository,  of  the  scientific  department. 
A course  of  meteorological  observations,  embracing  all  the  interesting 
^phenomena  calculated  to  develop  the  character  of  the  climate,  and 
•also  a course  of  magnetic  observations,  embracing  the  horary  oscilla- 
tions and  perturbations  of  the  declinometer,  were  going  on  here  by  two 
select  parties,  acting  under  the  instructions  of  Lieutenant  Whipple. 
These  parties  appeared  to  be  well-organized  for  these  objects ; and 
the  results  of  their  labors,  when  published,  will,  I am  sure,  be  found 
.exceedingly  interesting  and  valuable  to  science. 

A party  had  been  organized  in  January,  1851,  to  survey  the  Rio 
•Grande  from  San  Elizarioup  to  Dona  Ana.  Its  labors  were  completed 
some  time  in  April  following.  I found  the  note-books  of  this  survey  at 
Frontera,  but  no  part  of  this  work  had  been  plotted. 

I gave  a close  examination,  personally,  to  these  notes,  but  found 
.great  difficulty  in  understanding  them.  The  young  gentlemen  who 
made  the  survey  were  now  with  the  American  commissioner  at  the 
copper  mines  of  Santa  Rita.  It  was  essential  that  I should  know  what 
value  should  be  attached  to  this  work,  embracing  a distance  which,  by 
the  sinuosities  of  the  river,  I was  informed  reached  to  near  one  hundred 
-miles. 

I therefore  placed  these  note-books  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Hippel,  an 
efficient  surveyor  and  draughtsman,  with  directions  to  plot  the  work. 
After  many  efforts  he  could  not  understand  them. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


19 


After  I joined  Mr.  Bartlett  at  the  Copper  Mines,  I received  a note 
from  Mr.  Hippel,  stating  that  he  had  made  several  attempts  to  plot  this 
work,  but  was  unsuccessful.  I therefore  sent  the  two  principal  young 
gentlemen,  who  had  been  employed  in  making  the  survey,  down  to 
Frontera,  to  assist  in  the  plotting,  in  hopes  that  their  explanations 
would  serve  to  unravel  the  difficulties.  On  my  return  from  the  expe- 
dition into  Sonora, — having  organized  the  party  for  the  survey  of  the 
river  Gila  under  Lieutenant  Whipple,  in  co-operation  with  the  officer 
detailed  for  that  duty  on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  commission,  and  hav- 
ing also,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  joint  commission,  completed  the 
arrangements  for  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande, — I received  from  Mr. 
Hippel  a report  in  relation  to  the  task  committed  to  him,  of  which  the 
following  is  a copy,  viz  : 

“Frontera,  November  11,  1851. 

“Sir:  Your  verbal  order  to  me  to  make  a map  of  the  Rio  Grande 

from  the  survey-notes  of  Mr. ,*  extending  from  San  Elizario  to 

Dona  Ana.  I regret  very  much  to  say  that  I am  not  able  to  do  so,  on 
account  of  the  many  errors  contained  therein,  which  I will  show  in  the 
following : 

“ Note  Book  No.  1.  On  the  first  page,  on  the  left  side  of  the  measured 
lines  are  two  figures  which  do  not  say  what  they  are,  neither  are  their 
situation  and  distance  from  the  line  mentioned. 

“ Page  2 — station  5-6.  The  line  is  crossed  by  an  acequia.  Neither 
the  direction  of  the  water-course  nor  angle  with  the  line  is  given. 

“ Station  8-9.  Shows,  probably,  a road,  but  it  only  says  it  leads  to 
Socorro ; but  it  makes  no  mention  from  where  this  road  comes,  nor  what 
angle  it  is  to  the  line.  The  same  error  exists  here  as  mentioned  in 
page  1. 

“ Page  3,  station  1*2.  Shows  a creek  the  width  of  a chain,  but  its  sit- 
uation to  the  line,  also  where  it  is  crossed  between  13  and  14  by  the 
line,  is  not  to  be  seen. 

“Page  4.  Similar  errors  as  the  above  mentioned. 

“Page  5.  Shows  a lagoon,  but  its  length  and  width,  also  how  far  from 
the  line,  are  not  mentioned. 

“Page  7.  A road  crossed  by  the  line;  but  from  where  it  comes,  to 
where  it  leads,  the  length  of  the  offset  from  the  line  to  the  bend,  and 
its  angle  with  the  line,  are  not  given. 

“As  it  would  be  a difficult  matter  to  mention  all  the  errors  committed, 
I pass  them  over  and  speak  generally. 

“The  topography  of  the  country  on  the  United  States  side  is  very 
deficient,  and  on  the  Mexican  side  not  given  at  all ; not  one  course  of 
the  compass  to  the  tops  of  the  mountains  is  given,  neither  their  forms, 
heights,  nor  characteristics. 

“Nowhere  is  mentioned  the  position  of  a road  to  the  line;  very  sel- 
dom from  where  it  comes,  or  to  where  it  leads.  All  acequias  in  ap- 
pearance cross  the  line  by  right-angles,  which  in  reality  is  not  the  case. 

“ The  distance  of  the  Rio  Grande  from  the  line  is  so  seldom  mentioned 
that  it  is  impossible  to  give  its  true  course  on  paper.  Those  places 

*1  forbear  to  give  the  name  of  the  young  gentleman,  but  am  ready  to  do  so  if  required. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM. 


20  S.  Doc.  121. 

passed  by  the  surve}ror  are  merely  mentioned  by  name,  without  giving 
their  position. 

“To  convince  the  Colonel  of  the  correctness  of  my'judgment,  I take 
the  liberty  of  returning  the  notes,  consisting  of  five  books,  which  were 
given  to  me  for  the  above  mentioned  purpose. 

“Waiting  for  your  further  instructions,  I have  the  honor  to  be,  your 
obedient  servant, 

“M.  VON  HIPPEL, 

“ Draughtsman  to  the  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps,  U.  S.  B.  C. 

“ Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

“ Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps , fyc.,  Sfc.,  U.  S.  B.  C” 

I myself  questioned  the  young  gentlemen  in  regard  to  this  work,  and 
they  could  make  no  satisfactory  explanation  of  it.  I was  obliged  to 
reject  it  altogether,  and  to  order  the  survey  made  over  again. 

Jn  order  to  obtain  all  requisite  information  in  regard  to  the  work  that 
had  been  accomplished,  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  instruments  on 
hand  before  m^  arrival,  &c.,  so  far  as  that  information  could  readily  be 
furnished  from  the  general  repository  at  Frontera,  I issued,  immediately 
after  my  arrival  there,  the  circular,  of  which  a copy  is  annexed,  marked 
No.  80.  It  was  in  pursuance  of  this  step  that  the  work  reported  upon 
in  the  above  quoted  paper  came  under  my  especial  examination,  as 
likewise  did  everything  else  of  the  kind  found  there. 

Besides  th£  duties  requiring  my  attention  at  Frontera,  already  de- 
scribed, it  became  necessary  for  me  to  give  my  attention  to  the  com- 
missariat, in  order  to  prevent  detention  in  the  delivery  of  the  provisions 
which  had  just  been  brought  up  under  the  contract  with  Ponce  de  Leon, 
who  held  them  in  durance  until  the  freight  was  paid  upon  them.  The  diffi- 
culty was  obviated,  and,  on  the  13th  of  July,  five  thousand  rations  were 
sent  to  the  Copper  Mines,  a supply  added  to  the  live-stock  on  hand  there 
that  would  have  been  ample  for  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  and  all  other  work 
west  of  the  Rio  Grande,  had  not  the  position  assigned  me  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior  been  disputed  by  the  American  commissioner  at 
the  very  threshold  of  my  arrival,  and  unnecessary  delay  thus  created. 

I have  thus  shown  you  the  causes  of  my  necessary  stay  at  Frontera, 
and  the  objects  which  occupied  my  attention  there. 

Had  I slighted  these  objects,  upon  what  possible  ground,  I would 
ask,  could  I have  entered  with  the  commissioner  in  the  important  duty 
of  reorganizing  the  scientific  corps?  Upon  what  basis  could  I have 
proceeded  to  aid  him  in  the  selections  necessary  for  the  organization  of 
parties  for  the  field?  With  what  hope  for  success  could  I have  under- 
taken to  be  responsible  for  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  scientific 
departments  of  the  work?  Yet  all  these  responsibilities  were  com- 
mitted to  me  by  the  instructions  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  of 
the  23d  of  October,  1850,  and  I had  assumed  them,  under  the  condi- 
tions so  clearly  stated  in  that  document,  with  no  other  object  than  a 
determination  to  do  all  within  my  power  to  promote  the  success  of  the 
work  before  us.  Was  it  expected  of  me  that  I would  join  the  commis- 
sioner and  undertake  all  these  duties  without  one  ray  of  information  to 
guide  me  ? Not  one,  calculated  to  enlighten  me,  existed  at  the  Copper 
Mines.  There  was  not  a record  there  of  work  actually  done.  All  this 


S.  Doc.  121. 


21 


was  purposely  left  at  F rontera,  (the  recognised  repository  of  the  scien- 
tific work,)  when  Mr.  Bartlett  left  El  Paso  for  the  Copper  Mines. 
There  the  large  corps,  which  I have  before  alluded  to,  was  waiting  in 
idleness  until  the  return  of  Mr.  Sanford,  the  envoye,  who  was  depatched 
from  El  Paso  at  the  end  of  December,  1850,  or  beginning  of  January, 
1851,  to  New  Orleans  to^urchase  provisions,  with  instructions  to  pro- 
ceed, when  that  was  accomplished,  to  New  York,  and  buy  a set  of 
instruments.  But  for  the  fact  that  he  was  informed,  when  he  arrived 
at  Washington,  in  February,  1851,  that  the  instruments  had  already 
been  procured,  and  were  on  their  way  to  the  field  of  operations,  he 
would,  no  doubt,  have  undertaken  to  execute  the  order.  Whatever  he 
might  have  procured  could  not  have  arrived  at  El  Paso  before  the  train 
which  came  up  in  December,  1851,  which  brought  up  Major  Emory 
with  the  orders  recalling  me.*  This  would  have  been  a long  time  to 
be  kept  waiting  for  instruments,  and  at  an  enormous  expense,  too, 
because  the  great  body  of  the  surveying  corps,  and  of  their  employes, 
must  have  continued  in  idleness  until  the  instruments  should  have 
arrived.  Besides,  it  was  not  judicious,  under  any  circumstances,  to 
intrust  this  man  with  such  a mission.  He  possessed  no  knowledge 
v whatever  of  instruments ; and  if  he  was  attached  to  the  surveying 
corps  qjt  all,  it  was  only  in  the  capacity  of  a common  laborer  or  chain- 
bearer.  It  would  be  a difficult  problem  to  solve,  to  undertake  to  say 
what  sort  of  a collection  he  would  have  made,  if  we  may  judge  from 
the  specimen  he  collected  at  New  Orleans,  and  reported  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior  as  valuable  instruments,  and  which  he  was  directed 
to  turn  over  to  me  as  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  or  to  place  subject  to 
my  order.  The  report  of  the  board  of  survey,  which  was  constituted 
to  examine  this  collection,  is  hereto  attached,  marked  B,  in  documeqf 
No.  59. 

When  Mr.  Sanford  left  El  Paso  upon  this  mission,  it  was  chiefly  in 
the  capacity  of  bearer  of  the  despatch  to  Washington  which  announced 
the  agreement  between  the  commissioners  of  the  two  governments  in 
regard  to  the  point  of  beginning  on  the  Rio  Grande  for  running  out  the 
southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico.  His  departure  was  kept  a secret 
from  the  members  of  the  commission  generally.  When  he  was  charged 
with  procuring  instruments,  he  should  have  been  put  under  the  instruc- 
tions of  Lieutenant  Whipple  for  that  purpose ; but  that  officer  was  not 
allowed  to  know  anything  about  his  mission,  or  his  departure. 

I presume  it  will  readily  be  admitted,  that,  had  I gone  immediately 
sup  to  the  Copper  Mines,  and  formed  the  surveying  parties  without  any 
means  of  knowing  anything  of  the  qualifications  of  the  individuals  who 
were  to  compose  them,  I should  not  have  been  held  blameless  under  the 
instructions  I had  to  direct  me,  (instructions  which  set  forth  my  respon- 
sibilities in  a manner  not  to  be  mistaken,)  when,  at  the  end  of  several 
months’  work,  at  a great  cost  to  the  government,  it  should  have  been 
found  that  it  had  all  to  be  rejected  on  account  of  its  inaccuracy. 


* After  Major  Emory  reached  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  he  proceeded  in  advance  of  the 
train,  and  reported  himself  to  me  in  person  at  Frontera,  on  the  28th  of  November,  1851,  as  my 
successor  on  this  work.  The  train  of  wagons  with  the  supplies,  under  the  second  contract 
with  i’once  de  Leon,  did  not  deliver  its  load  at  El  Paco  until  about  the  middle  of  December. 


22 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Although  the  letter  of  Mr.  Commissioner  Bartlett  (hereto  attached*, 
marked  No.  181)  addressed  at  the  Copper  Mines  to  General  Conde, 
the  Mexican  commissioner,  in  relation  to  my  calling  Mr.  Whipple  to 
Frontera  to  report  to  me,  is  dated  July  11,  1851,  that  letter,  together 
with  General  Conde’s  complaint,  was  not  despatched  from  the  Copper 
Mines  to  Washington  until  the  20th  of  that  rflbnth.  Mr.  Bartlett  knew 
very  well  that  Mr.  Whipple  was  ordered  in  for  consultation  under  my 
belief  that  he  (Mr.  Bartlett)  was  coming  in  also.  There  was  ample 
time  for  him  to  have  communicated  with  me  at  F rontera  on  this  subject 
between  the  time  of  his  receiving  General  Conde’s  letter  and  his  send- 
ing off  his  express  to  Washington.  But  he  did  not  even  allow  me  to 
know  what  he  had  done.  He  denied  me  all  opportunity  to  make  any 
explanations  to  him,  or  to  rebut  the  complaint  before  the  Department 
of  the  Interior,  by  availing  myself  of  his  express-man  to  write  to  the 
department.  My  recall,  it  appears,  was  based  upon  this  complaint,, 
without  any  of  the  circumstances  I have  detailed  being  known  at 
Washington.  (See  docs.  178  to  184  inclusive,  Appendix.) 

Having  gotten  through  with  the  objects  requiring  my  attention  at 
Frontera,  I left  that  place  on  the  26th  of  July,  and  reached  the  Copper 
Mines  on  the  2d  of  August,  where  I was  most  hospitably  received  by 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Craig,  of  the  third  infantry,  commander,  of  the 
American  escort. 

Here  I learned  that  Mr.  Gray,  the  American  surveyor  under  the' 
treaty,  had  protested  against  the  initial  point  on  the  Rio  Grande  as 
agreed  upon  by  the  commissioners,  and  also  against  the  line  which* 
was  in  progress  of  being  surveyed  westward  from  that  point.  This 
was  done  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  1851. 

# Immediately  upon  this  protest  being  entered,  Mr.  Commissioner 
Bartlett  admitted  that  the  line  was  not  valid  under  the  treaty  unless  it 
received  Mr.  Gray’s  concurrence ; and  he  at  once  called  in  the  party 
which  had  been  employed  upon  it  under  Lieutenant  Whipple,  and  sent 
a despatch  to  General  Conde,  the  Mexican  commissioner,  requesting 
him  to  suspend  the  further  running  of  that  line  until  the  American  sur- 
veyor should  give  his  assent  to  it. 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  treaty-map  that  the  length  of  the  southern 
boundary  of  New  Mexico,  measured  from  the  Rio  Grande  westward, 
by  the  scale  of  the  map,  is  just  178  miles,  which  is  mile  more 
than  three  degrees  of  longitude  measured  upon  its  true  parallel.* 
The  distance  which  had  been  run  alon^  the  meat  circle,  or  cord  in 
projection  of  the  parallel,  by  the  American  party  when  die  protest  was 
made,  was  seventy-five  miles.  The  curve  or  actual  parallel,  however, 
had  been  laid  off  for  a distance  of  only  about  eighteen  or  twenty  miles 
west  from  the  Rio  Grande ; so  that,  strictly  speaking,  only  that  much 
of  the  actual  boundary  agreed  upon  by  the  two  commissioners  had 
been  marked  conjointly  at  the  time  the  work  was  suspended  on  the 
part  of  the  United  States. 

General  Conde  refused  to  suspend  operations,  or  to  submit  the  work 


* The  length  of  three  degrees  of  longitude  upon  the  parallel  of  31°  52',  which  is  about  the 
true  latitude  of  a point  eight  miles  north  of  the  centre  of  the  plaza  of  El  Paso,  is  176.38  miles,. 
(See  Lee’s  Tables* article  Giodesy,  page  9,4  ; printed  by  Gideon  & Co,,  Washington,  1849i) 


S.  Doc.  121. 


23 


for  Mr.  Gray’s  concurrence.  The  Mexican  party  continued  to  run  it  out 
ex  parte,  and  thus  finished  it  some  time  in  October,  1851,  as  I understood. 

When  I reached  the  Copper  Mines,  on  the  2d  of  August,  with  in- 
struments sufficient  for  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  and  had  assembled 
on  the  8th  enough  for  everything  else  west  of  the  Rio  Grande,  the 
American  commissioner  was  not  ready  to  proceed  with  the  work.  It 
had  been  agreed,  at  a meeting  of  the  joint  commission  held  on  the  20th 
of  July,  that  the  commissioners  and  surveyors,  with  the  necessary  as- 
sistants, should  proceed  forthwith  to  the  Gila,  and  make  a survey  of 
that  river  from  the  point  where  the  western  boundary  of  New  Mexico 
may  strike  it,  to  its  junction  with  the  Colorado.*  I immediately  sub- 
mitted to  Mr.  Bartlett  a general  plan  for  carrying  on  the  work,t  and 
urged  the  immediate  reorganization  of  the  scientific  corps,  which  was 
the  first  step  committed  to  us  by  our  instructions,  as  it  was,  also,  one 
of  the  most  important  to  efficient  operations. 

He  refused  to  co-operate  with  me  in  the  position  assigned  me,  and 
in  which  he  was  instructed  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior  to  receive 
and  recognise  me,  under  the  pretence  that  he  did  not  understand  those 
instructions.^  Much  delay  was  caused  by  the  discussion  which  unavoid- 
ably ensued,  and  a great  consumption  of  provisions  w^as  going  on  by  a 
large  body  of  men — provisions  which  I designed  to  be  appropriated  for 
the  Gila  survey;  so  that,  before  he  was  ready,  that  supply  had  to  be 
augmented  from  below,  and  this  was  made  the  plea  for  further  delay. 

He  cut  me  off  from  all  means  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  rela- 
tive merits  of  the  young  men  attached  to  the  surveying  corps,  by  de- 
clining to  present  me  to  them,  or  to  instruct  them  to  acknowledge  me 
in  my  official  capacity  as  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  thus  defeating 
the  wishes  and  instructions  of  his  government  in  regard  to  an  efficient 
organization.  This  organization  he  took,  in  direct  opposition  to  those 
instructions,  into  his  own  hands,  refusing  me  all  co-operation  in  it. 

In  doing  this  his  selections  were,  as  might  be  supposed,  irrespective 
of  scientific  qualifications,  which  were  designed  by  his  government  to 
be  its  very  basis.  All  this  will  be  seen  by  the  correspondence  hereto 
attached,  to  which,  for  a full  understanding  of  the  subject,  I must  in- 
vite your  attention. 

After  Lieutenant  Burnside  left  the  Copper  Mines  with  my  despatch 
to  the  Department  of  the  Interior  of  August  16, 1851,  anxious  to  do  all 
in  my  power  to  conciliate  points  of  difference  so  that  the  progress  of 
the  work  should  not  be  obstructed,  I made  out  and  submitted  to  the 
United  States  commissioner  a programme,  which  is  annexed,  marked 
No.  126.  To  this  I would  ask  your  particular  attention,  especially  in 
regard  to  the  high  position  it  accords  to  Mr.  Gray,  the  United  States 
surveyor,  as  a joint  supervisor  of  the  work  on  our  side.  Although 
I believe  I should  not  be  wrong  in  saying  he  received  from  me 
some  of  his  earliest  lessons  in  the  use  of  instruments,  whilst  he  was 
an  attache  to  General  Memucan  Hunt  on  the  survey  of  the  boundary 
between  the  United  States  and  the  then  republic  of  Texas,  in  the  year 
1S40,  still  I was  desirous  always  to  concede  to  him  everything  which 
full  respect  to  the  commission  he  now  held  could  justly  demand ; I 


* See  Appendix,  No,  88.  f See  Appendix,  No.  99.  \ See  Appendix,  Nos.  90  to  121  inclusive. 


24 


S.  Doc.  121. 


wanted  to  do  all  I could,  consistent  with  proper  respect  to  the  position 
the  government  had  placed  me  in,  to  conciliate  and  to  bring  about  har- 
mony. He,  however,  was  not  satisfied  with  my  proposition,  and  would 
not  accede  to  it.  He  offered,  in  lieu  of  it,  the  counter  programme  con- 
tained in  the  paper  marked  No.  127.  The  conditions  it  dictates  would 
have  reduced  me  to  a very  subordinate  capacity  indeed ; and  as  I con- 
sidered them  inconsistent  with  my  instructions,  I could  not  give  them 
my  assent. 

After  this  effort,  which  failed,  I made  a new  proposition  to  Mr.  Bart- 
lett ; which  was,  that  Lieutenant  Whipple  should  be  charged  with  the 
astronomical  and  topographical  survey  of  the  river  Gila,  on  our  side ; 
and  I offered  myself  to  take  charge  of  the  general  work,  both  astronomical 
and  topographical,  for  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande,  to  be  assisted  in  the 
astronomical  department  by  Lieutenant  W.  F.  Smith,  of  the  topograph- 
ical engineers,  in  whose  scientific  attainments  and  efficiency  I reposed 
great  confidence.  This  was  accepted  by  Mr.  Bartlett,  and  I proceeded  at 
once  to  make  out  the  organizations  shown  by  the  accompanying  papers 
marked  Nos.  129  and  134.  These  were  approved  by  Mr.  Bartlett. 

I must  here  remark,  that  although  I had  been  allowed  but  little  op- 
portunity to  know  anything  about  the  qualifications  of  most  of  the  young 
gentlemen  who  were  to  compose  the  surveying  parties  for  my  own  di- 
vision of  the  work,  yet  it  had  now  become  absolutely  necessary  to  take 
them  thus,  par  hasard , or  to  allow  the  work  to  stand  still,  as  it  had  al 
ready  done  for  the  most  part,  quite  too  long.  I,  of  course,  except  from 
this  remark  that  part  of  the  work  which  was  being  carried  on  by  a 
small  portion  of  the  scientific  corps,  under  the  immediate  direction  of 
Lieutenant  Whipple,  in  tracing  the  parallel  upon  the  latitude  of 
32°  22'. 

Lieut.  Whipple’s  method  for  determining  and  tracing  out  this  parallel 
of  latitude,  and  the  accuracy  of  his  astronomical  observations,  reflect 
the  highest  credit  upon  him  as  an  astronomer.  As  a scientific  opera- 
tion it  is  a work  of  which  his  corps  may  feel  justly  proud.  Had  his 
own  opinion  been  regarded  by  the  United  States  commissioner,  he 
would  have  been  carrying  on  the  parallel  somewhat  south  of  latitude 
31°  52',  or  a little  more  than  thirty-four  miles  lower  down. 

The  young  gentlemen  detailed  for  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  under  the 
immediate  direction  of  Lieut.  Whipple,  were  chiefly  those  who,  from 
having  worked  with  him  and  received  much  instruction  from  him,  were 
known  to  be  the  most  efficient.  Those  detailed  for  my  own  division 
appeared  zealous  and  anxious  for  employment,  after  the  long  delay  to 
which  they  had  been  subjected.  Many  of  them  had  received  liberal 
educations,  but  none,  scarcely,  had  been  instructed  in  the  practical  use 
of  instruments  in  the  field.  With  one  or  two  exceptions  they  were 
much  upon  a par  in  this  respect,  none  being  able  to  help  the  rest. 
There  was  but  one  alternative,  then ; which  was  for  me,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  Lieut.  W.  F.  Smith,  to  undertake  to  teach  when  occasion  should 
require  it,  and  this  was  determined  on.  Now,  I do  not  wish  to  be  un- 
derstood here  as  disparaging  the  merits  of  these  young  gentlemen,  for 
whom  I entertain  the  highest  regard.  Many  of  them,  from  their 
amiable  and  gentlemanly  deportment,  had  already  attached  me  warmly 
to  them.  It  was  not  their  fault  that  they  found  themselves  thus  in 


S.  Doc.  121. 


25 


highly  responsible  situations,  without  any  experience  in  what  they  were 
to  undertake.  It  was  the  error  of  the  original  organization — of  the 
manner  in  which  the  selections  for  it  were  made,  I mean.  High  po- 
litical influence  had  been  made,  and  even  sought,  as  the  criterion,  in 
most  cases,  in  making  the  selections.  Practical  experience  in  the  pro- 
fession, aided  by  proper  scientific  attainments,  seem  scarcely  to  have 
been  thought  of,  and  were  not  inquired  into.  Each  young  gentleman, 
when  he  joined,  seems  to  have  hoped  to  find  in  his  companions  that 
information  derived  from  previous  experience  which  would  help  him 
on,  by  teaching  him  how  to  apply  his  theoretical  school-lessons  to  prac- 
tical usefulness.  Alas!  the  answer  in  most  cases  was,  “This  is  the 
very  thing  I was  in  hopes  you  would  be  enabled  to  do  for  me!” 

Sir,  this  is  no  tale  of  imagination  that  I am  relating  for  your  amuse- 
ment. Investigation  of  the  facts  will  prove  it  to  be  but  too  true.  It 
will  not,  I trust,  as  it  need  not,  discourage  those  young  gentlemen  in 
their  future  efforts  to  rise  in  their  profession.  From  study  and  perse- 
verance I have  not  a doubt  that  many  of  them  may  yet  become  distin- 
guished in  their  profession.  I am  obliged  to  relate  these  things,  because 
otherwise  it  would  be  impossible  for  you  to  estimate  the  difficulties 
which,  on  all  sides,  surrounded  me.  Nothing  short  of  the  discretion 
and  responsibilities  conferred  by  the  instructions  of  the  Department  of 
the  Interior  of  the  23d  of  October,  1850,  could  possibly  have  brought 
about  the  desired  reform,  and  it  was  for  that  reason,  after  the  most 
mature  deliberation  and  investigation,  that  those  instructions  were  de- 
termined upon.  They  had  undergone  every  scrutiny,  and  had  received 
the  approbation  of  several  of  the  bureaus  here  in  Washington,  before 
they  were  issued.  From  a very  early  period  after  I was  detailed  for 
duty  on  this  commission,  I had,  from  the  most  careful  investigations, 
rightly  appreciated  the  condition  of  the  scientific  corps,  as  it  was  called, 
then  in  the  field,  and  had  suggested  the  only  means  that  I knew  of  by 
whicl^it  could  be  reformed.  I had  been  employed  upon  three  import- 
ant boundaries  before,  and  consequently  had  gained  some  experience 
in  regard  to  the  proper  mode  of  conducting  them.  In  all  of  them  the 
organizations  proposed  by  me  for  conducting  the  scientific  part  of  the 
business  met  with  the  approbation  of  the  authorities  having  the  direc- 
tion of  them,  and  I believe  no  complaints  were  ever  made  of  the  prac- 
tical results,  or  of  the  promptness  with  which  they  were  accomplished. 

In  saying  this,  I claim  nothing  that  would  not  have  been  accom- 
plished by  any  other  officer  of  my  corps  of  reasonable  experience,  but 
I allude  to  it  because  I believe  I entered  upon  this  duty  having  the  full 
confidence  of  my  superiors,  and  I am  at  a loss  to  know  upon  what 
ground  it  is  that  I have  been  accused,  as  I have  been,  by  the  Hon. 
Alexander  H.  H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

While  we  were  detained  at  the  Copper  Mines,  as  I have  detailed,  a 
band  of  Apache  Indians  came  stealthily  down  upon  our  cabaltada , and 
b}^  a stampede  drove  off  a number  of  the  mules,  belonging  chiefly  to  the 
military  escort.  There  were  a few  belonging  to  the  commission.  This 
was  on  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  August.  In  one  hour  after  the  news 
was  brought  to  camp,  Colonel  Craig,  commander  of  the  escort,  was  in 
full  pursuit  of  the  Indians,  which  he  continued  for  several  days  with 
the  greater  part  of  his  command ; but  being  infantry,  he  could  not  over- 


26  S.  Doc.  121. 

take  them,  and  was  obliged  to  return  without  having  recovered  any  of 
the  stolen  property. 

Several  days  afterward  a second  descent  was  made  by  a band  of 
the  same  tribe,  accompanied  by  a band  of  Navajos  (pronounced 
Navahos,)  and  a number  of  mules  and  horses  belonging  both  to  the 
commission  and  to  the  escort  were  driven  off,  and  escaped  such  pur- 
suit as  could  be  given  at  the  moment  by  the  guard.  An  express  was 
immediately  sent  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  military  post  at 
Dona  Ana  for  assistance.  A company  of  the  2d  dragoons  was  quickly 
despatched  to  our  aid,  and  being  joined  by  Colonel  Craig,  with  as  many 
of  his  infantry  as  he  could  mount,  this  mixed  command  proceeded  to 
reconnoitre  the  fastnesses  of  these  Indians.  This  expedition  was  still 
out  when,  on  the  27th  of  August,  I left  the  Copper  Mines  with  Mr.  Com- 
missioner Bartlett,  and  the  party  organized  for  the  Gila  survey,  to  visit 
General  Conde,  the  Mexican  commissioner,  as  had  been  previously 
agreed  upon. 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th  of  the  same  month  a third  descent  was 
made  upon  us  by  bands  of  the  same  tribes,  who,  it  was  ascertained, 
had  watched  the  movements  of  the  last  mentioned  expedition,  and 
inferring,  as  was  true,  that  we  had  but  few  troops  left  at  the  Copper 
Mines  to  protect  us,  determined  to  strip  us,  if  possible,  of  the  remainder 
of  our  mules  and  all  our  beef  cattle. 

When  they  came  within  reach  of  the  American  employes,  who 
were  guarding  the  mules,  they  were  fired  upon  and  driven  off.  They 
quickly,  however,  wheeled  about,  and  shooting  their  arrows  at  the 
Mexican  herdsmen  who  were  minding  the  beef  cattle,  frightened  them 
off,  and  soon  had  the  whole  herd,  amounting  to  ninety-four  head,  in  full 
run  for  their  camp  beyond  the  Gila. 

They  were  pursued  by  a party  of  twelve  of  the  members  of  the  com- 
mission, whom  I armed  and  mounted  as  quickly  as  possible  and  placed 
under  the  command  of  Lieutenants  Whipple  and  W.  F.  Smith, ^pf  the 
topographical  engineers.  This  party  soon  came  up  with  the  greater  part 
of  the  herd,  and  re-captured  it.  Several,  however,  together  with  a num- 
ber belonging  to  a company  employed  in  working  lor  gold  in  our  im- 
mediate neighborhood,  still  remained  in  their  possession.  The  party, 
therefore,  still  pursued,  and  about  nightfall  surprised  the  marauders  in 
the  highlands  of  the  Gila,  and,  routing  them,  re-took  all  the  cattle 
except,  perhaps,  one  or  two. 

The  pursuit  was  kept  up  for  thirty-five  or  forty  miles.  Our  party 
slept  upon  the  ground  where  the  Indians  were  routed,  and  did  not 
return  to  our  camp  until  the  afternoon  of  the  25th. 

These  occurrences  delayed  our  departure  to  join  the  Mexican  com- 
missioner at  his  camp  for  several  days  later  than  had  been  intended. 

Before  we  set  out  I called  upon  Mr.  Bartlett  and  requested  that  on 
meeting  General  Conde,  he  would  introduce  me  to  him  officially,  in 
the  capacity  in  which  it  was  directed  by  the  instructions  of  the  23d  of 
October,  1850,  I should  be  received  and  recognised,  because  otherwise 
I could  have  no  just  grounds  for  taking  any  part  in  the  joint  operations. 
Mr.  Bartlett  replied  that  he  would  do  so,  as  he  accordingly  did  when 
we  met  General  Conde.  On  the  afternoon  of  August  27th  I left  the 
Copper  Mines,  in  company  with  the  United  States  commissioner, 


S.  Doc.  121.  27 

the  United  States  surveyor,  and  the  party  under  Lieut.  Whipple  for  the 
survey  of  the  Gila,  to  visit  the  Mexican  commissioner  at  his  camp. 

It  was  expected  to  hold  there  a meeting  of  the  joint  commission,  for 
the  purpose  of  perfecting  the  joint  organization  for  the  survey  of  all 
that  portion  of  the  boundary  not  in  dispute,  preparatory  to  proceeding 
immediately  with  the  work  in  two  separate  divisions — the  one  for  the 
Gila  and  the  other  for  the  Rio  Grande. 

I did  not  expect  to  be  absent  from  the  Copper  Mines  for  more  than 
about  eight  days.  General  Conde’s  camp  was  said  to  be  only  two,  or, 
at  farthest,  three  days  march  from  us. 

It  was  supposed  that  two  days  after  we  joined  him  would  be  suffi- 
cient for  arranging  all  matters  connected  with  the  joint  work  to  be 
carried  on.  After  that  I expected  to  despatch  Lieutenant  Whipple  to 
the  Gila  to  begin  at  once  his  survey,  and,  returning  myself  to  the  Cop- 
per Mines,  to  proceed  immediately  from  thence  to  the  Rio  Grande  and 
to  put  my  own  parties  to  work,  and  then  to  erect  the  necessary  observa- 
tories for  carrying  on  the  astronomical  work  in  two  parties ; the  one  to 
be  directed  by  my  assistant,  Lieutenant  W.  F.  Smith,  and  the  other 
by  myself.  It  was  arranged  that  we  would  alternate  astronomical 
stations  in  proceeding  on  down  the  Rio  Grande,  making  observations 
for  the  latitude  and  longitude  ; and  that  we  would,  by  observing  flashes 
of  gunpowder  or  by  the  transmission  of  chronometers,  determine  with 
nicety  the  differences  in  longitude  between  our  consecutive  stations,  so 
that  all  the  observations  for  absolute  longitude  at  the  various  stations 
should  be  amalgamated  to  produce  one  primary  result,  to  be  applied 
to  all  the  stations,  giving  value  according  to  weight  properly  estimated. 

This  method  I had  practised  with  very  satisfactory  results  on  the 
survey  of  the  northeastern  boundary,  when  co-operating  with  the  offi- 
cers of  the  British  scientific  corps,  and  with  my  assistant,  Lieutenant 
Thom,  of  the  topographical  engineers.  The  highlands  visible  from 
the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  for  a long  distance  down,  appeared  to 
offer  great  facilities  for  making  the  flashing  signals. 

Before  setting  out  from  the  Copper  Mines  the  United  States  commis- 
sioner had  presented  a requisition  for  subsistence  for  his  party,  including 
the  surveyor,  to  September  10,  inclusive,  which  he  supposed  would  be 
enough  to  last  him  to  the  Gila  after  the  meeting  with  the  Mexican 
commission  should  be  accomplished. 

This  requisition  was  presented  to  me  for  my  approval  under  the 
system  adopted.  I directed  the  commissary  to  issue  five  more  days’ 
rations — or  to  include  September  15 — to  this  party,  (as  I found  it  had 
ample  transportation,)  and  to  make  out  the  requisitions  accordingly 
and  get  them  signed ; which  was  done.  Directions  were  left  by  the 
United  States  commissioner  for  Colonel  Craig  to  proceed  with  a por- 
tion of  his  escort,  (so  soon  as  he  should  return  from  his  scout,)  with  ad- 
ditional provisions,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Prieto,  a tributary  to  the 
Gila,  coming  in  from  the  north  and  entering  that  -river  on  its  north 
shore.  This  was  the  point  on  the  Gila  to  which  it'  had  been  agreed 
by  the  joint  commission  they  would  proceed,  after  the  meeting,  and  at 
once  commence,  from  that  point,  the  survey  of  that  river  to  its  junc- 
tion with  the  Colorado.  The  point  for  beginning  was  fixed  so  high  up 
the  Gila  because  it  was  desirable  that  a certain  portion  of  that  river 


28 


S.  Doc.  121. 


above  the  termination  of  the  western  boundary  of  New  Mexico  should 
be  correctly  laid  down.  There  was  another  consideration,  which  was, 
that  it  would  not  commit  either  commission,  in  regard  to  the  point 
where  that  boundary  would  terminate,  since  the  dispute  raised  by  the 
protest  of  the  United  States  surveyor;  but  would  leave  that  an  open 
question,  to  be  decided  hereafter,  without  obstructing  the  survey  of  the 
rest  of  the  boundary. 

A lancer  of  General  Conde’s  escort,  whom  he  had  sent  in  to  us  to 
guide  us  to  his  camp,  started  with  us  and  accompanied  us  on  this 
march. 

Oui  march  was  in  a southwesterly  direction,  over  the  plains,  pursu- 
ing, generally,  the  trail  of  General  Conde’s  wagon,  which  had  been 
over  this  ground  before  us.  On  the  31st  of  August,  late  in  the  after- 
noon, we  entered  a valley,  and,  continuing  in  it,  we  reached  a spring, 
a little  before  sunset,  near  the  foot  of  a beautiful  sugar-loaf  peak,  called 
by  the  Mexicans  El  Peloncillo.  Here  we  expected  to  find  the  Mexi- 
can commissioner;  but  he  was  not  there.  This  is  the  point  to  which 
his  lancer  had  been  directed  to  guide  us,  saying  he  would  here  await 
our  arrival.  We  here  found  a note  saying  that  General  Conde,  fear- 
ing the  water  would  fail,  had  moved  his  camp  some  eighteen  or  twenty 
miles  farther  to  the  southwest,  and  warning  us  to  look  out  for  the  Indi- 
ans, as  they  had  shot  arrows  at  his  sentinels  and  had  driven  off  some 
of  his  finest  horses  and  mules.  We  found  water  enough  here  to  ac- 
commodate all  our  animals  and  for  our  own  use.  The  supply  was 
rendered  better  by  digging  the  spring  a little  larger  and  deeper,  which 
was  done  in  a few  minutes,  as  the  soil  is  soft. 

We  posted  our  guards  carefully,  some  upon  elevated  points,  from 
whence  they  could  see  all  round  for  a long  distance,  and  others  sur- 
rounding the  animals  picketed  or  herded  out  to  graze.  At  night  our 
sentinels  were  relieved  regularly  every  two  hours,  as  indeed  they  al- 
ways were  on  a march.  We  were  not  disturbed  by  the  Indians.  We 
perceived  no  signs  of  any. 

September  1,  1851. — Mr.  Bartlett  determined  to  lay  by  all  this  day 
to  graze  and  rest  the  animals. 

Three  of  his  party,  viz:  Dr.  Webb,  his  secretary,  Mr.  Thurber,  his 
clerk,  and  Mr.  Cremony,  his  interpreter,  went  forward  and  joined  Gen- 
eral Conde  ; for  what  reason  I am  not  informed.  My  assistants  are 
industriously  engaged — Lieutenant  Whipple  in  making  astronomical 
and  magnetic  observations,  Messrs.  Clark  and  Wright  in  collecting 
specimens  and  in  preparing  them  in  such  a way  as  to  insure  their 
safety  in  transportation.  The  barometer  and  thermometer,  &c.,  are 
also  regularly  observed  upon. 

September  2. — We  started  early  in  the  morning,  but  our  wagons  had 
to  retrace  their  track  of  the  31st  of  August  for  some  distance  to  get 
round  the  base  of  the  Sugar-loaf  hill.  At  nightfall  we  arrived  at  a 
place  called  the  Willow  Marsh,  (Saucera  de  la  Cienaga,)  where  we 
fully  expected  to  find  the  Mexican  commissioner  with  his  part}^,  but 
we  were  again  disappointed,  as  they  were  not  there.  There  was 
plenty  of  water  here.  It  had  rained  in  the  afternoon,  and  when  I 
reached  this  point  I could  scarcely  find  a piece  of  ground  dry  enough 
to  pitch  my  tent.  There  was  also  plenty  of  grass  here.  My  mules 


S.  Doc.  121. 


29 


were  picketed  at  the  edge  of  the  inundated  swamp,  and  most  of  them 
stood  all  night  half-leg  deep  in  water,  so  that  they  had  as  much  as 
they  could  drink,  and  as  much  good  fresh  grass  as  they  could  eat. 
There  was  a message  or  sign  here,  again,  saying  the  Mexican  commis- 
sioner had  gone  off  in  a northwesterly  direction.  This  was  the  sixth 
day  we  had  been  in  pursuit  of  him.  On  leaving  the  Copper  Mines  we 
fully  expected  to  be  with  him  in  three  days  at  farthest.  In  the  mean 
time  his  surveyors  were  pushing  forward  their  ex  parte  survey  over  the 
protested  line.  I told  Mr.  Bartlett  I thought  it  was  due  to  the  dignity  of 
our  own  government  that  he  should  no  longer  continue  this  pursuit,  but  I 
was  not  heeded.  There  are  lofty  mountains  to  the  west  of  this  camp 
called  the  Chiricahui  mountains,  which  are  said  to  be  rich  in  silver 
ore.  It  rained  hard  nearly  all  this  night. 

September  3. — We  started  early,  and  pursued  General  Conde’s  trail 
in  a northwesterly  direction,  over  low,  flat,  boggy  ground,  intersected 
by  ravines  and  small  running  streams,  which  have  probably  been 
made  by  the  last  night’s  rain.  It  was  very  difficult  to  get  our  wagons 
along  on  account  of  the  ground  being  so  boggy.  The  commissioner’s 
wagon  got  mired  and  the  mules  could  not  move  it,  so  there  it  rested 
until  we  encamped  at  night,  and  then  some  pack-mules  were  sent  back 
to  it,  upon  which  most  of  the  load  was  put,  and  then  the  wagon  came 
into  camp  nearly  empty.  We  encamped  this  night  without  being  able 
to  find  water.  As  usual,  I had  ordered  my  water  kegs  filled,  which 
gave  me  a partial  supply  for  my  mules,  besides  enough  for  cooking. 
My  neighbors  waited  on  me  to  be  accommodated  in  that  respect,  which 
of  course  was  done. 

I will  here  remark  that  I had  warned  Mr.  Bartlett  that  I feared  he 
was  running  beyond  his  present  supply  of  provisions,  and  that  if  he 
continued  this  pursuit  after  the  Mexican  commissioner,  he  would  not 
have  sufficient  left  to  take  him  to  the  point  on  the  Gila  where  it  had 
been  agreed  the  survey  should  begin.  I urged  it  upon  him,  if  he 
meant  to  continue  his  march  after  General  Conde,  to  send  back  at  once 
to  the  Copper  Mines  for  a fresh  supply  to  be  sent  to  him.  He  did  not 
appear  disposed  to  pay  any  attention  to  my  suggestions,  and  took  no 
steps  whatever  to  do  so. 

September  4. — Continued  our  march,  bending  more  to  the  south,  with 
the  range  of  mountains  on  our  left.  Passed  over  a rough  plain  much 
intersected  by  dry  ravines,  which  made  the  hauling  very  heavy  upon 
the  mules.  They  suffered  much  to-day  for  the  want  of  water.  The 
weather  very  hot.  In  the  afternoon  we  turned  still  more  southerly, 
and  entering  a dry,  parched,  and  narrow  ravine,  which  in  the  rainy 
season  is  no  doubt  a river  torrent,  we  followed  it  up  to  the  base  of  the 
mountain,  where  General  Conde  had  passed  before  us.  Here,  by  a 
quick  reconnaissance,  we  found  gushing  from  a ravine  at  the  base  of 
the  mountain  the  greatest  abundance  of  pure  clear  water.  It  was  a 
great  relief  for  the  animals  as  well  as  for  the  men,  for  all  had  suffered 
much  with  heat  and  thirst  this  day.  We  encamped  here  about  5 
o’clock  p.  m.,  and  occupied  the  rest  of  the  day  in  repairing  the  wear 
and  tear  of  some  of  our  wagons.  It  was  stated  that  the  Mexican  com- 
missioner had  not  found  water  enough  here  to  accommodate  the  parties 


30 


S.  Doc.  121. 


of  both  the  commissions,  and  thought  it  prudent  to  go  on  further,  so  we 
have  not  overtaken  him  yet. 

September  5. — We  did  not  start  so  early  as  usual  this  morning,  be- 
cause the  patching  up  of  harness  and  the  making  of  a new  wagon- 
tongue,  to  supply  the  place  of  one  that  was  broken  yesterday,  had  to  be 
finished.  A fine  piece  of  hard  timber  for  the  purpose  had  been  found 
near  the  mountain — a very  lucky  circumstance,  for  it  is  a great  rarity 
in  this  country. 

By  dint  of  whipping  the  mules  and  ihe  pushing  of  the  men  at  the 
rear  of  the  wagons,  we  were  enabled  to  emerge  from  this  ravine  and 
get,  by  a short  and  direct  route,  over  the  rough  hills,  and  then  by  the 
reverse  operation  we  descended  into  a most  beautiful  level  plain, 
abounding  with  delicious  green  grass  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
without  any  stinted  shrubbery,  as  is  generally  the  case  on  these  plains, 
but  interspersed  with  the  magay. 

The  joy  of  our  passage  of  the  mountain  was  heightened  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  a range  of  trees  in  the  distance,  which  we  at  first  sup- 
posed to  mark  the  course  of  the  San  Pedro  river,  but  as  we  approached 
it  we  found  we  were  mistaken  ; and  soon  our  course  bore  away  from 
it  more  to  the  westward.  It  is  probably  a tributary,  in  the  wet  sea- 
son, of  the  San  Pedro,  but  now  its  bed  was  dry. 

About  noon  we  found  a little  water  for  our  mules.  Mr.  Bartlett  and 
myself  pushed  on  with  three  or  four  men,  in  advance  of  the  wagons. 
Being  on  horseback,  we  could  out-travel  them.  About  an  hour  before 
sunset  we  perceived  General  Conde’s  camp  in  view,  upon  a low,  flat 
spot  of  ground.  Mr.  Thurber,  one  of  Mr.  Bartlett’s  clerks,  came  out 
to  meet  us,  and  showed  us  to  the  General’s  tent.  He  and  Dr.  Webb, 
Mr.  Bartlett’s  principal  secretary,  and  his  interpreter,  Cremony,  had 
been  for  some  days  with  General  Conde  and  his  party. 

The  camp  was  at  an  inconvenient  distance  from  a stagnant  pool  of 
very  bad  water.  As  we  approached  towards  General  Conde’s  tent 
he  came  out  to  meet  us ; and  Mr.  Bartlett  advanced  with  me  and  in- 
troduced me  to  him  officially,  as  he  had  said  he  would,  as  the  “Prin- 
cipal Astronomer  and  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States.” 

The  General  received  us  with  great  courtesy,  and  invited  us  to  his 
tent,  where,  after  offering  us  some  refreshment,  we  entered  into  some 
conversation  about  the  fine.  He  told  us  that  Mr.  Salazar,  the  surveyor 
on  the  part  of  Mexico,  had  just,  that  day,  completed  the  running  out 
of  his  line  to  the  western  boundary  of  New  Mexico,  and  was  now 
about  to  make  some  astronomical  observations  to  verify  his  last  station 
in  latitude  32°  22'. 

Mr.  Gray,  with  the  train  of  pack-mules,  had  reached  this  camp  an 
hour  or  two  before  us.  It  was  determined  that  there  should  be  a 
meeting  of  the  joint  commission  on  the  following  day.  My  wagons  did 
not  reach  camp  this  night.  We  had  made  a very  long  march — more 
than  they  could  accomplish. 

September  6. — The  wagons  arrived  in  camp  early  this  morning,  and 
my  tents  were  pitched.  The  joint  commission,  consisting  of  the  com- 
missioners and  surveyors  of  both  governments,  met  this  morning. 

Before  Mr.  Bartlett  went  to  the  meeting,  I called  on  him  and  re- 


S.  Doc.  121. 


31 


quested  that  lie  would  introduce,  at  the  board,  the  instructions  to  him 
of  October  23, 1850,  defining  my  position  as  connected  with  the  Ameri- 
can commission,  and  also  that  he  would  send  for  me,  to  take  my  seat  at 
the  board,  when  they  came  to  that  part  of  the  business  which  related  to 
“ digesting  and  arranging  the  plan  of  operations  in  the  field,”  and  to  “ or- 
ganizing parties  and  giving  the  necessary  directions  to  subordinates.”* 
He  told  me  he  would  do  so.  I waited  in  my  tent  all  day,  expecting  to  be 
sent  for  before  the  meeting  of  the  board  adjourned.  It  adjourned, 
however,  in  the  afternoon,  without  my  having  received  any  message 
from  the  United  States  commissioner.  I called  upon  him,  and  he  told 
me  the  subject  of  organization  for  field-work  did  not  come  up  that  day; 
that  they  had  been  occupied  all  day  in  relation  to  the  protested  line  ; 
and  that  they  were  to  meet  the  next  day,  and  he  would  then  attend  to 
the  business  I had  mentioned. 

September  7. — The  joint  commission,  consisting  of  the  two  commis- 
sioners and  the  two  surveyors,  met  again  this  morning.  I was  not  in- 
vited, nor  was  any  opportunity  afforded  me  to  take  part  in  the  “digest- 
ing and  arranging  the  plan  of  operations  in  the  field,”  or  “in  organizing 
parties  and  giving  the  necessary  directions,”  &c.,  &c.  When  the  board 
adjourned,  in  the  afternoon,  I was  invited  by  Mr.  Bartlett  to  come  into 
his  tent.  There  I found  him  with  General  Conde,  the  Mexican  com- 
missioner ; Mr.  Salazar  y Larregui,  the  Mexican  surveyor ; Captain 
Jimenes,  (or  Ximenes,)  of  the  Mexican  engineers ; and  Mr.  Augustin 
Conde,  the  General’s  son  and  secretary. 

General  Conde  addressed  me,  saying  that  he  had  well  considered 
the  general  plan  of  operations,  which  I had  submitted  to  Mr.  Bartlett, 
and  which  Mr.  Bartlett  had  exhibited  to  him,  for  conducting  the  joint 
survey  of  the  boundary ; that  he  liked  it  well,  and  thought  it  would 
greatly  expedite  the  completion  of  the  work;  that  he  would  join  in  it 
as  far  as  was  in  his  power;  that  Captain  Jimenes  \\a£  detailed,  on  the 
part  of  the  Mexican  commission,  to  co-operate,  in  the  survey  of  the  Gila 
river,  with  Lieutenant  Whipple,  who,  he  was  informed,  was  designated 
for  that  duty  on  the  part  of  the  American  commission.  That  Cap- 
tain Jimenes  would  receive  his  instructions  in  writing  from  Mr.  Salazar 
y Larregui,  the  Mexican  surveyor  and  astronomer,  it  being  understood 
that  Lieutenant  Whipple  would  receive  his  written  instructions  from 
me.  That  Mr.  Salazar  y Larregui  had  been  designated,  on  the  part  of 
the  Mexican  commission,  to  co-operate  with  me,  acting  on  the  part  of 
the  American  commission,  for  the  survey,  both  astronomical  and  topo- 
graphical, of  the  eastern  division,  composed  of  the  Rio  Grande  or  Bravo 
del  Norte,  with  its  islands.  That  it  had  been  agreed  that  the  plan  for 
carrying  on  this  should  be  committed  to  Mr.  Salazar  and  myself,  and 
that  we  were  authorized  to  enter  into  it,  so  soon  as  Mr.  Salazar  should 
complete  his  present  duties  and  be  able  to  go  to  El  Paso,  which  would 
probably  be  in  the  latter  part  of  October  or  beginning  of  November. 

General  Conde  further  stated  that,  owing  to  the  limited  number  of 
instruments  in  the  Mexican  commission,  he  feared  he  might  not  be  able 
to  go  on  with  the  work  in  as  many  sections,  at  the  same  time,  as  my 
proposition  contemplated ; that  he  understood  I had  brought  out  an 


See  the  instructions  of  October  23,  1850,  Appendix,  No.  13. 


32 


S.  Doc.  121. 


ample  supply  of  instruments  for  such  an  arrangement,  but  that  the 
Mexican  equipment  fell  very  far  short  of  it. 

I replied  to  General  Conde,  saying  that  I should  have  great  pleasure 
in  holding  the  instruments  I had  brought  out  with  me  subject  to  the  use 
of  both  commissions  for  this  joint  undertaking. 

I suggested  a mode  of  joint  organization  for  the  surveying  parties,  as 
follows,  viz  : that  an  officer  or  surveyor  from  each  commission  should  be 
associated  for  the  survey  of  the  sa  me  section  ; that  they  should  actually 
co-operate,  and  daily  compare  their  observations  and  notes,  so  that  any 
discrepancies  that  might  occur  should  be  examined  into  and  corrected, 
before  the  work  advanced  beyond  the  points  in  question;  that  in  this 
way  each  would  check  the  other  in  case  of  any  inadvertent  error; 
that  when  the  work  came  to  be  laid  down  upon  the  maps,  it  should  be 
from  the  conjoint  notes ; that  after  the  requisite  verifications,  the  maps 
should  be  drawn  in  duplicate  and  alike,  one  set  being  for  each  govern- 
ment. Mr.  Bartlett  and  General  Conde  both  signified  their  approba- 
tion of  this  suggestion. 

It  was  upon  this  authority  that  the  additional  instructions  to  Lieu- 
tenant Whipple,  of  September  7,  were  based.  (See  No.  135.) 

General  Conde  now  signified  his  intention  to  start  the  next  morning, 
with  a portion  of  his  people,  for  the  San  Pedro,  and  from  thence  to  go 
immediately  to  the  village  of  Santa  Cruz,  in  order  to  obtain  provisions 
for  the  Gila  survey,  for  his  supply,  he  observed,  was  nearly  exhausted. 

He  informed  me  that  a party,  under  the  orders  of  Mr.  Salazar,  would 
proceed  to  run  the  line  along  the  western  boundary  of  New  Mexico, 
and  thence  to  the  Gila.  Mr.  Bartlett  determined,  with  all  his  party,  to 
accompany  General  Conde  to  the  river  San  Pedro,  and  from  thence  to 
go  to  Santa  Cruz. 

I should  have  mentioned  before,  that  in  addition  to  the  provisions  is- 
sued to  Mr.  Bartlett’s  party  at  the  Copper  Mines,  he  was  furnished 
with  18  or  20  head  of  fine  large  beef  cattte  and  a drove  of  50  or  more 
excellent  sheep,  all  in  good  condition.  These  had  been  driven  along 
as  we  marched. 

A young  Mexican  girl,  about  17  years  of  age,  a native  of  Santa  Cruz, 
named  Inez  Gonzales,  was  also  with  us  on  this  march.  Colonel  Craig 
and  Mr.  Bartlett  had  very  generously  rescued  her  from  some  New  Mex- 
icans (who  held  her  in  captivity  as  a slave)  shortly  before  I reached 
the  Copper  Mines.  They  had  purchased  her  from  the  Pinal  Llanos 
Indians.  Mr.  Bartlett’s  object  was  to  restore  her  to  her  family  at  Santa 
Cruz.  Her  history,  as  near  as  I could  learn  it,  is  this:  About  a year 
ago,  a party  of  Mexicans — consisting  of  about  twenty  persons,  men, 
women,  and  children — left  Santa  Cruz  to  attend  a great  fair  to  be  held 
at  some  other  village,  probably  that  of  San  Juan.  Whilst  on  the  way, 
the  party  was  attacked  by  a band  of  Pinal  Llanos  Indians,  and  all  tho 
Mexican  men  were  killed,  including  her  uncle,  under  whose  protection 
she  was.  The  women  and  children  were  captured  and  made  slaves  of. 
Among  these  was  this  young  lady.  Her  late  master,  with  a.  portion  of 
his  people,  falling  in  the  way  of  the  commissioner,  he  and  Colonel  Craig 
insisted  on  her  liberation,  which,  after  much  demurring  on  the  part  of 
the  former,  was  effected.  She  appeared  to  feel  the  deepest  gratitude 
for  her  liberation  from  slavery.  As  might  be  supposed,  the  history 


S.  Doc.  121. 


33 


of  her  sad  fate  excited  the  sympathy  of  every  member  of  the  commis- 
sion, and  all  vied  in  bestowing  upon  her  every  delicate  attention,  and 
every  protection  that  her  peculiar  situation  could  possibly  claim. 
When  about  to  enter  upfln  the  heated  plains,  where  she  would  have 
suffered  much,  I placed  my  ambulance,  drawn  by  a pair  of  mules,  at 
her  service,  and  from  that  time  she  had  driven  in  it. 

Captain  Castro,  commander  of  the  Mexican  escort,  and  his  subaltern, 
Lieutenant  Carabajal,  dined  with  me  this  afterifbon.  I asked  Captain 
Castro  to  give  me  some  information  about  Santa  Cruz,  as  I believed  he 
had  been  there;  and  it  appeared  he  was  the  only  man  now  with  either 
commission  that  knew  where  the  place  was,  or  anything  about  it.  He 
told  me  it  was  a very  poor  village,  of,  perhaps,  three  or  four  hundred 
inhabitants,  who  lived  pretty  much  as  the  Indians  did;  that  is,  by  rais- 
ing some  corn  and  vegetables,  a little  poultry,  and  by  hunting  wild 
cattle.  The  place  was  so  poor,  that  he  thought  if  the  population  were 
suddenly  increased  by  the  addition  of  fifty  people,  it  would  distress 
them  for  subsistence.  It  was  very  doubtful,  he  thought,  whether  any 
one  here  knew  which  direction  to  take  to  find  it.  Its  place  was  given 
on  the  map,  and  we  could  find  our  own  latitude  and  longitude  from 
observation;  but  the  latitudes  and  longitudes  of  all  places  in  Sonora 
were  so  erroneously  laid  down  on  the  map,  that  this  would  afford  us  no 
data  for  finding  the  course  w^e  ought  to  take  to  reach  it.  It  was  as  un- 
certain a thing,  I inferred,  as  the  attempt  to  run  the  boundary  line  by 
the  fictitious  lines  of  latitude  and  longitude  upon  the  map;  that  is,  the 
treaty  map,  the  only  one  we  possessed  that  had  Santa  Cruz  upon  it. 
He  said  he  had  never  been  in  this  part  of  Sonora  before;  and  entering 
it,  as  was  done,  from  the  plains  at  the  north,  he  could  have  no  definite 
idea  of  the  direction  of  it  from  our  present  camp.  He  thought,  how- 
ever, that  it  was  not  so  much  to  the  west  as  they  were  going  to  strike 
to  find  it,  and  had  told  some  of  them  so.  Captain  C.  is  a very  intelli- 
gent and  brave  officer.  He  was  educated  at  the  military  school  of 
Chapultepec.  He  was  in  all  the  battles  fought  by  the  Mexican  army 
against  General  Taylor,  from  Palo  Alto  to  Buena  Vista,  or  Angostura, 
as  he  called  it.  It  is  said  he  had  extended  great  kindness,  at  Mata  mo- 
rns, to  some  of  our  officers,  who  were  taken  prisoners  near  that  place 
just  before  the  war  fully  opened. 

My  own  destination  was  now  to  the  Copper  Mines,  to  break  up  that 
station,  and  then  to  go  to  Frontera,  from  whence  to  conduct  the  survey 
of  the  Rio  Grande.  Fortunately,  1 had  brought  with  me  provisions  for 
my  party  to  the  20th  of  September;  and,  knowing  the  proneness  tg  be 
wasteful — which,  strange  to  say,  is  almost  always  the  case  with  hired 
men,  even  in  situations  where  they  cannot  get  more — I had  taken  the 
precaution  to  have  the  rations  weighed  out  for  every  day’s  use  under  the 
supervision  of  one*)f  my  assistants,  and  somewhat  short  of  the  regulation 
allowance,  after  I discovered  what  sort  of  a journey  we  were  bound 
upon,  so  as  to  provide,  as  far  as  I could,  against  a failure. 

My  mules  were  so  much  jaded  by  the  march  we  had  made  through 
a heavy,  rough,  and  often  boggy  soil,  that  I determined  to  go  south  until 
I should  strike  Colonel  Cooke’s  California  road,  and  then,  by  an  easier 
ma<|di,  return  to  the  Copper  Mines.  Captain  Castro  thought  I would 
strike  this  road  very  near  the  San  Pedro,  if  not  upon  it.  I regretted  very 


34 


S.  Doc.  121. 


much  he  was  not  to  accompany  General  Conde  to  Santa  Cruz,  on  ac- 
count of  his  knowing  more  about  the  country  than  any  one  else.  He 
told  me,  however,  that  he  had  orders  to  take  command  of  the  escort 
which  was  to  accompany  Mr.  Salazar  on  1j*s  survey  of  the  north  line 
towards  the  Gila. 

I had  a conference  with  Mr.  Salazar  in  my  tent,  this  evening,  in  re- 
lation to  our  joint  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

September  8. — General  Conde,  with  a portion  of  his  officers,  including 
Captain  Jimenes  of  the  engineers,  Lieutenant  Carabajal  of  the  infantry, 
and  his  escort,  and  Mr.  Augustine  Conde;  Mr.  Bartlett,  with  his  usual 
party,  including  Mr.  Gray,  and  Doctor  Webb  his  secretary,  Mr.  Cre- 
mony  his  interpreter,  Mr.  Thurber  his  assistant  clerk,  and  others;  my- 
self and  party,  with  Lieutenant  Whipple  and  his  party  for  the  Gila 
survey,  including  his  assistants,  Mr.  Force,  Mr.  Wheaton,  Mr.  O’Don- 
oghue,  and  Mr.  Campbell, — took  up  our  march  this  morning  for  the 
San  Pedro. 

We  found  no  difficulty  in  passing  with  our  wagons  through  a deep 
gap  in  the  mountains  to  the  south  of  us.  We  then  came  into  another 
open  plain,  over  which  we  had  a very  hard  day’s  march,  without  water. 
In  the  afternoon  we  entered  a deep  canon,  (precipitous  ravine,)  and 
marched  for  several  hours  along  its  hot,  dry,  parched-up  bed  without 
being  able  to  find  a drop  of  water. 

The  Mexican  escort  was  on  foot,  and  I passed  several  of  the  soldiers 
belonging  to  it,  lying  on  the  ground,  nearly  naked  and  fast  asleep. 
They  were  overcome  with  the  heat  of  the  weather  and  the  fatigues  of 
the  march,  without  a drop  of  water. 

Our  mules  were  nearly  fagged  out,  and  indeed  my  wagon  lagged 
behind.  Lieutenant  Whipple’s  being  better  equipped,  and  drawn  by 
six  picked  mules,  went  ahead.  Long  after  dark  I reached  the  San 
Pedro,  very  much  fatigued.  Lieutenant  Whipple  had  arrived  a little 
before  me,  and  hospitably  shared  his  supper  and  blankets  with  Mr. 
Lawson  (my  clerk)  and  myself  that  night.  My  ambulance,  with  the 
Senorita  Inez,  got  along  with  those  of  us  who  were  on  horseback.  My 
baggage-wagon  did  not  arrive.  Messrs.  Clark  and  Wright  encamped 
with  it  about  three  miles  back,  without  water.  Our  march  to-day  was 
estimated  at  forty-three  miles. 

September  9. — Messrs.  Clark  and  Wright  came  up  this  morning  be- 
fore sunrise,  and  my  wagon  not  long  after.  Our  tents  were  soon 
pitched,  and  I was  occupied  nearly  all  day  in  conferring  with  Lieuten- 
ant Whipple  in  regard  to  (his  Gila  survey. 

Soon  after  breakfast,  General  Conde  called  at  my  tent  to  request  that 
I would  promise  to  order  Lieutenant  Whipple  back  upon  the  disputed 
line  to  finish  it,  after  finishing  the  survey  of  the  Gila.  I told  him,  in 
as  polite  terms  as  I could,  that  I had  no  authority  to  do  so  under  pre- 
sent circumstances,  and  that  it  would  be  necessary  for  me  to  receive  a 
certified  resolution  of  the  joint  commission,  signed  by  both  commission- 
ers and  both  surveyors,  before  I would  be  justified  in  doing  so.  He 
then  told  me  he  was  going  to  cross  the  river  San  Pedro,  to  set  out  with 
all  his  party  for  Santa  Cruz. 

He  had  encamped  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  on  arrivingkthe 
evening  before,  but  had  recrossed  this  morning  to  pay  us  a visit.  ^He 


S.  Doc.  121.  35 

said  he  was  obliged  to  go  thither  to  get  provisions  before  he  could 
go  on  with  the  Gila  survey. 

I asked  him  how  far  off* he  thought  Santa  Cruz  was?  He  said  about 
a day  and  a half’s  march ; that  he  had  on  hand  only  two  davs’  pro- 
visions, and  that  he  was  bound  to  be  there  at  that  time.  He  then 
crossed  the  river  and  marched  immediatelv. 

J 

About  an  hour  after,  Mr.  Bartlett  called  t(^see  me  to  take  leave  also, 
saying  he  was  going  to  Santa  Cruz  too ; that  it  was  necessary  for  him 
to  go  there  to  get  flour  before  he  could  go  to  the  Gila. 

I advised  him  not  to  go  there,  but  rather  to  go  at  once  and  com- 
mence the  survey  of  that  river,  telling  him  that  these  delays  only  cre- 
ated embarrassment  by  consuming  provisions.  It  was  my  opinion 
that  the  better  plan  would  be  for  him,  after  reaching  the  Gila,  to  send 
to  the  Copper  Mines  for  supplies  from  our  own  depot,  as  it  would  be 
surer,  and  could  be  done  full  as  quick.  He  might  also  have  sent  the 
captive,  Inez  Gonzales,  home  under  the  protection  of  General  Conde. 

Mr.  Bartlett  was  determined  to  follow  out  his  own  plan.  The  con- 
sequence was  that  Lieutenant  Whipple,  with  all  his  party,  was  required 
to  wait  here  on  the  San  Pedro  until  this  mission  was  accomplished  and 
Mr.  Bartlett  should  return  to  him,  as  was  then  expected. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  Mr.  Bartlett,  with  his  party,  consisting  of  Dr. 
Webb,  his  secretary;  Mr.  Cremony,  his  interpreter;  Mr.  Thurber, 
clerk ; the  two  Messrs.  Pratt,  landscape  and  portrait  painters ; the  cap- 
tive Inez  Gonzales,  and  about  half  a dozen  men,  crossed  the  San 
Pedro  and  proceeded  on,  following  the  trail  of  General  Conde,  for 
Santa  Cruz.  Mr.  Gray,  with  the  rest  of  the  United  States  commission- 
er’s party,  remained  behind. 

Lieutenant  Whipple  was  engaged  nearly  all  day  in  observing.  The 
latitude  and  longitude,  and  also  the  magnetic  dip,  declination,  and  in- 
tensity, were  determined  here,  as  was,  indeed,  the  case  at  every  camp 
since  we  left  the  Copper  Mines,  except  that  at  the  Saucera  de  la  Cienaga , 
or  Willow  Marsh,  where  we  had  a rainy  night. 

The  topography  of  the  country  has  also  been  laid  down  the  whole 
distance,  by  observing  every  course  with  a prismatic  compass  and  es- 
timating the  distances  by  time.  The  mountain  ranges  have  been 
sketched  in. 

These  observations  will  enable  us  to  present  a very  interesting  map 
of  all  this  route,  and  will  fill  a great  blank  in  the  geography  of  the 
southern  part  of  New  Mexico  and  the  northern  part  of  Sonora. 

Mr.  Clark  and  Mr.  Wright  have,  as  usual,  been  industrious  in  look- 
ing for  specimens  in  zoology  and  botany.  The  San  Pedro  wTas  pretty 
high  when  we  arrived  here.  It  is  very  muddy,  with  a quick  current, 
resembling  very  much  the  Pecos,  or  Rio  Puerco , for  this  is  its  proper 
name — which  means  the  dirty  or  muddy  river.  The  San  Pedro  runs 
here  through  a soft,  alluvial  soil,  and  its  rapid  current  has  worn  a deep 
bed  for  it,  leaving  steep  banks  on  either  side.  My  assistant,  Mr. 
Clark,  took  from  this  stream  several  new  species  of  fishes  not  known 
before  in  Zoology.  Among  them  was  found  a species  which  we  sup- 
pose to  be  the  same  as  was  sketched  in  a drawing  by  Major  Emory, 
on  Qeneral  Kearny’s  expedition,  called  by  him  a trout  without  scales. 
The  drawing  of  Major  Emory  created  great  interest  in  regard  to  this 


36 


S.  Doc.  121. 


fish ; but  it  could  not  of  course  be  described  with  exactitude  without  a 
specimen.  I have  brought  home  well-preserved  specimens  of  these,, 
and  a great  many  other  fishes ; adding  several  new  genera,  and  many 
new  species,  not  before  known,  to  the  zoological  catalogue. 

Reconnaissances  were  made  to-day  up  and  down  the  river  to  try  to 
find  signs  of  Colonel  Cooke’s  road,  but  no  trace  of  it  could  be  per- 
ceived. • 

September  10. — This  afternoon  we  all  crossed  the  river  and  formed 
our  camps  where  there  was  better  grass.  We  were  obliged  to  exca- 
vate a place  on  each  of  the  steep  banks  to  enable  our  wagons  to  cross. 

September  11. — I spent  the  morning  in  arranging  some  necessary 
matters  for  Lieutenant  Whipple.  This  unexpected  march  leaves  him 
without  an  armed  escort.  When  he  left  the  Copper  Mines  it  was  ex- 
pected he  would  soon  be,  under  the  protection  of  Colonel  Craig’s  com- 
mand, on  the  Gila.  I turned  over  to  Lieutenant  Whipple  a portion  of  the 
arms  and  ammunition  which  I had.  The  live  stock,  cattle,  and  sheep* 
were  all  left  by  Mr.  Bartlett  here  until  he  should  return.  I had  four 
live  sheep  put  into  my  wagon,  to  augment  my  supply  of  provisions, 
and,  taking  leave  of  Lieutenant  Whipple  and  his  party,  I struck  my' 
tents  and  marched  in  a southwest  course,  the  high  hills  preventing  our 
varying  more  to  the  south  just  here.  We  followed  the  trail  of  General 
Conde’s  and  Mr.  Bartlett’s  parties,  hoping  soon  it  would  cross  Cooke’s 
road,  of  which  we  had,  as  yet,  seen  no  evidences.  Supposing  it  to  be 
the  road  taken  by  the  California  emigrants,  it  ought  to  be  a plain,  well- 
beaten  track.  ^Having  gone  about  ten  miles,  we  encamped  during  a 
heavy  shower  of  rain.  Saw  large  lumps  of  mica  on  the  route  to-day. 

September  12. — Continued  our  march  early  this  morning.  We  had 
not  gone  far  when  we  perceived  some  fine,  large,  wild  cattle.  As  soon 
as  they  winded  us  they  ran.  Mr.  Lawson,  myself  and  my  Mexican 
servant.  Guadalupe  Ortega,  who  is  a perfect  horseman,  gave  chase; 
but  they  went  at  such  a pace  that  we  could  not  overtake  them  without 
losing  too  much  time.  One  of  them,  a large  bull,  as  black  as  jet,  once 
halted  and  turned  round,  giving  us  a look  of  defiance;  but  we  all  three 
rushed  at  him,  when  he  wheeled  and  ran  away.  Bearing  more  to  the 
west,  just  before  entering  a gap  in  a range  of  mountains,  a large,  black 
bear  was  killed,  which  was  a very  welcome  addition  to  our  rations. 

We  passed  an  old  Indian  encampment,  consisting  of  a number  of 
small  lodges,  built  by  sticking  up,  in  a conical  shape,  small  poles  meet- 
ing at  the  top,  and  thatching  them  over  with  grass.  It  appeared  to 
have  been  not  very  long  deserted.  We  encamped,  after  passing  the 
mountain  gorge,  about  sunset,  on  the  margin  of  a ravine,  where  we 
found  water  enough  for  our  animals,  and  for  cooking. 

We  did  not  make  over  eighteen  miles  to-day. 

September  13. — No  sign  of  Cooke’s  road  yet.  Soon  after  we  started 
from  camp,  to-day,  we  found  that  Mr.  Bartlett’s  trail  did  not  follow 
General  Conde’s.  This  perplexed  us  not  a little,  as  both  were  bound 
for  Santa  Cruz.  General  Conde’s  was  towards  a gap  in  the  high  range 
of  hills  to  the  west,  whereas  Mr.  Bartlett  had  pursued  a#  southwest 
direction.  We  could  easily  distinguish  them  apart.  General  Conde’s 
wheel-tracks  were  wider  apart  than  those  of  the  American  wagons; 


S.  Doc.  121. 


37 


and  besides,  the  American  mules  were  shod,  and  the  Mexicans’  were 
not. 

I determined,  after  reconnoitring  a little,  to  take  the  left-hand  trail. 
We  soon  came  to  very  broken  ground,  over  which  the  trail  passed, 
but  we  saw  we  could  find  a better  route.  Mr.  Clark  and  I went  for- 
ward to  reconnoitre-  My  Mexican  servant,  Guadalupe,  had  become 
very  much  alarmed  for  fear  our  provisions  would  fail,  and  that  he 
would  starve.  He  was  in  advance  of  us,  pretending  to  be  looking  for 
a good  route-  Presently  I saw  him,  about  half  a mile  in  advance  of 
us,  going  at  full  speed  from  us.  I immediately  suspected  him  of  desert- 
ing, but  others  thought  there  was  no  reason  for  such  a suspicion. 

Having  found  a route  much  better  for  the  wagons  and  ambulance, 
we  returned  and  conducted  them  accordingly.  The  route  to-day  was 
generally  over  very  broken  ground,  much  cut  up  by  ravines.  The 
grass  was  very  fine,  and  little  or  no  shrubbery.  We  saw  a great  many 
antelopes  grazing  on  the  prairie  to-day.  Our  distance  to-day  was 
about  1-5  miles.  Guadalupe  has  certainly  deserted.  He  has  taken  off 
with  him  one  of  my  best  mules  and  equipment;  also  my  saddle-bags, 
containing  an  important  part  of  my  toilet:  combs,  brushes,  &c. 

September  14. — We  were  now  again  on  Mr.  Bartlett’s  trail.  We  fol- 
lowed a ravine,  with  a gentle,  descending  slope,  for  a short  distance 
this  morning,  when  we  were  brought  abruptly  up  to  the  base  of  a 
mountain.  There  seemed  at  first  no  means  of  crossing  it.  It  appeared 
to  us  that  our  further  progress  in  that  direction  was  arrested.  We 
halted  to  reconnoitre.  Taking  Mr.  Clark  with  me,  we  ascended  to 
the  top  of  a lofty  mountain.  From  this  position  was  presented  to  us 
one  of  the  most  sublime  scenes  I ever  beheld.  To  the  east,  south,  and 
west,  there  appeared  to  be  nothing  but  a labyrinth  of  chains  of  moun- 
tains intersecting  each  other  in  various  directions.  Rising  in  lofty 
peaks  connected  by  rugged  chains,  they  seemed  at  first  to  constitute 
an  impracticable  barrier  to  our  further  march.  We  paused  for  a time, 
enjoying  the  grandeur  of  the  spectacle.  After  patiently  tracing  out 
the  topography  with  the  eye,  we  perceived  a continuous,  beautiful 
ravine,  winding  its  way  among  the  mountains  ; turning  now  a stupend- 
ous base,  and  lost  awhile  to  the  eye ; then  emerging  from  the  confusion 
of  peaks  and  cliffs,  and  stretching  towards  the  southwest,  it  seemed  to 
widen  as  it  receded  on.  It  appeared  to  be  covered  with  luxuriant 
grass;  and  we  concluded  that  this  was  the  course  for  us  to  pursue. 
We  descended  to  the  base  of  the  mountain  we  had  stood  upon;  and, 
after  another  reconnaissance,  we  found  that  by  passing  down  a steep 
but  not  very  high  slope,  to  the  west  of  us,  it  would  conduct  us  to  the 
head  of  the  valley  we  had  beheld  from  the  top  of  the  mountain.  To  do 
this,  our  wagons  had  to  be  let  down  by  the  joint  operation  of  placing  all 
the  men,  officers  included,  behind  them,  to  hold  back,  whilst  the  driver 
would  do  his  utmost  to  make  his  mules  hold  back  also.  In  this  way 
we  got  safely  down  into  the  valley,  and  found  a beautiful  little  stream 
which  took  its  rise  here,  and  was  coursing  its  way  down  with  a rapid 
current.  The  water  was  perfectly  clear,  which  is  a thing  seldom  to  be 
found  on  these  plains.  Following  the  course  of  this  little  rill,  in  a 
direction  about  west,  for  half  a mile,  it  then  turned  to  a direction  about 
southwest.  At  this  turn,  we  again  encountered  Mr.  Bartlett’s  trail. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


38 

He  had  entered  the  valley  farther  to  the  west  than  we  did,  and  over 
ground  much  more  rugged.  Here  we  saw  the  tracks  of  the  deserter, 
Guadalupe’s  mule,  which  showed  he  was  going  at  full  speed  before  us. 

His  object,  no  doubt,  was  to  get  to  Santa  Cruz,  and,  alter  disposing 
of  the  mule  and  equipments,  to  escape  into  Chihuahua.  This  whole 
valley  was  covered  with  the  most  luxuriant  grass  we  had  anywhere 
seen.  Our  mules  fed  upon  it  as  they  travelled,  for  it  was  from  three  to 
four  feet  high  in  many  places.  The  smooth  surface  and  gentle  descent 
made  the  hauling  easy.  Alter  proceeding  a few  miles,  we  perceived 
that  the  stream  had  sunk  into  the  ground  and  was  lost.  This  was  a 
great  disappointment  to  us  all.  It  is  a thing  which  often  happens  in 
this  country.  Mr.  Clark  drew  our  attention  to-day  to  a new  species  of 
dove,  also  to  a new  partridge,  somewhat  like  our  common  partridge, 
except  that  the  color  about  the  head  is  white  instead  of  yellow.  Our 
inarch  had  been  so  much  obstructed  to-day  that  we  did  not  make  more 
than  about  ten  miles.  We  encamped  in  the  valley,  without  water.  The 
grass  was,  however,  so  green  and  fresh  that  our  mules  did  not  appear  to 
suffer. 

September  15. — We  started  early  this  morning.  We  were  obliged  to 
keep  close  to  the  western  margin  of  the  valley,  because  it  began  to  be 
quite  boggy  in  the  middle,  and  very  soon  our  lost  stream  appeared 
again,  and  we  refreshed  ourselves  with  its  pure  water. 

After  proceeding  three  or  four  miles  we  were  surprised  to  see  the  de- 
serter Guadalupe  coming  on  his  mule  to  meet  us.  He  put  on  a good  coun- 
tenance, and,  approaching  me  with  much  apparent  joy,  put  out  his  hand, 
exclaiming,  “ Sehor  amo,  senor  amo,  me  alegro  mucho  ver  le  a v.  m !” — 
“ My  master,  my  master,  I am  glad  to  see  you !”  He  then  entered  into 
an  account  of  himself,  saying  that  he  was  afraid  our  provisions  would 
give  out,  and  had  come  on  in  advance  to  try  to  get  some  from  Mr.  Bart- 
lett. Moreover,  he  was  anxious  to  find  the  road  to  Santa  Cruz  for  us ; 
that  then  he  certainly  meant  to  come  back  to  us.  His  story  reminded 
me  of  some  of  those  we  find  in  “ Gil  Bias.”  He  then  told  us  that  Mr. 
Bartlett  and  his  party  were  encamped  a short  distance  in  advance  of 
us,  and  that  he  had  been  entreated  by  the  young  lady,  Inez  Gonzales, 
to  return  to  us  and  ask  us  to  bring  some  provisions;  that  Mr.  Bartlett’s 
provisions  were  exhausted,  and  that  the  party  had  had  very  little  to  eat 
for  several  days.  This  was,  indeed,  sad  news.  I made  my  servant  take 
a haversack  of  cooked  provisions,  with  a bottle  of  port  wine,  and  hast- 
ening forward  with  Messrs.  Lawson,  Clark,  and  Wright,  we  soon  arrived 
at  Mr.  Bartlett’s  camp.  He  and  the  Senorita  Inez  came  out  to  meet 
us.  We  dismounted  and  went  into  their  tent  with  them,  and  the  lunch 
that  we  had  brought  was  at  once  laid  before  them.  Very  soon  Mr. 
Cremony,  the  intepreter,  and  the  elder  Mr.  Pratt,  also  came  in,  and  Were 
invited  to  refresh  themselves  from  our  haversack.  Dr.  W ebb,  secretary 
to  the  United  States  commissioner,  was  not  here.  He  had  joined  the 
party  of  General  Conde,  the  Mexican  commissioner,  and  had  not  been 
heard  of  since.  There  was  great  apprehension  for  the  safety  of  that 
party.  We  retired,  leaving  the  party  to  enjoy  their  meal. 

We  went  back,  and  had  our  wagons  moved  forward,  and  chose  a 
camping  ground  near  Mr.  Bartlett’s.  It  gave  greater  security  against 
any  marauding  bands  of  Indians  that  might  be  roving  about,  to  join  our 


S.  Doc.  121. 


39 


forces.  Any  such  band  would  certainly  have  taken  a fancy  for  our 
mules,  and  to  our  scalps,  too,  if  strong  enough  to  justify  the  attempt. 

After  my  camp  was  formed,  I immediately  put  all  my  party  on  half 
rations,  and  ordered  that  Mr.  Bartlett  and  his  party  should  share  them 
with  us  in  the  same  ratio  until  we  could  oblain  relief  from  the  live- 
stock left  on  the  San  Pedro,  for  it  seemed  to  be  impossible,  in  our  present 
situation,  to  continue  the  uncertain  search  after  Santa  Cruz  any  farther. 

To  the  credit  of  the  members  of  my  party,  fifteen  in  number  besides 
myself,  but  including  my  escort,  consisting  of  a sergeant  and  five  sol- 
diers of  the  third  infantry,  from  Colonel  Craig’s  company,  they  all,  with 
one  unanimous  voice,  expressed  their  hearty  assent  to  the  measure.  I 
requested  Mr.  Clark  to  take  the  exclusive  charge  of  the  provisions,  and 
to  see  that  each  day’s  allowance  to  all,  including  officers,  was  accu- 
rately weighed  out  and  issued  to  the  different  messes  every  morning,  and 

• # was  understood  that  they  were  not  to  be  touched  in  any  other  way. 

Mr.  Bartlett’s  party  consisted  of  ten  or  twelve  persons,  exclusive  of 
Dr.  Webb,  who  was  now  absent.  Three  of  these  were,  however,  just 

* now  out  hunting  for  Santa  Cruz,  but  were  expected  back  in  a day  or 
two,  and  wrould  come  in  for  their  share  of  the  provisions. 

We  weighed  our  stock  on  hand,  and  found  we  had  enough  for  all,  at 
half  rations,  for  six  days ; that  is  to  say,  of  bread  and  meat,  besides  a 
little  rice.  Our  sugar  had  been  exhausted  already.  We  had  still  some 
coffee  left.  About  10  a.  m.,  I went  back  to  Mr.  Bartlett’s  tent  and  in- 
formed him  of  the  arrangement  I had  made  in  regard  to  the  provisions, 
for  which  he  seemed  to  be  very  thankful. 

All  his  party  looked  pale  and  feeble  from  their  long  fasting.  Their 
meat  had  all  been  exhausted  for  three  days,  during  which  time  they 
had  subsisted  on  die  pursley  or  purslain  plant  (verdolaga)  and  some 
crumbs  of  bread,  the  last  of  which  Mr.  Bartlett  told  me  they  had  con- 
sumed that  morninof. 

o 

At  this  place  the  ravine  is  contracted,  by  the  hemming  in  of  the 
mountains  on  either  side,  to  a narrow  pass  wide  enough  for  the  stream 
to  flow*  through,  which  is  bordered  for  a long  wray  below  by  a boggy 
swamp.  The  mountains  all  round  were  lofty  and  very  broken  ; on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  stream,  a little  belowT  us,  were  several  adobe  (mud) 
buildings,  in  ruins.  They  were  evidently  the* remains  of  one  of  those 
ranchos  found  in  many  places  in  the  north  of  Sonora,  where  settlements 
were  made,  wherever  good  ranges  of  grass  and  water  were  found  suit- 
able for  grazing  large  herds  of  cattle.  During  the  government  of  old 
Spain,  the  Camanche  and  Apache  Indians,  knowdng  and  fearing  the  • 
power  of  that  nation,  had  become  the  allies  of  the  Mexicans  of  the 
northern  provinces,  and  w^ere  extensively  employed  by  them  in  the 
capacity  of  herders  at  all  these  grazing  ranchos.  It  was  in  this  way 
that  so  many  of  the  Indians  of  these  tribes  learned  to  speak  the  Span- 
ish language — in  an  imperfect  manner,  to  be  sure,  but  well  enough  to 
be  understood. 

At  a latter  period,  long  after  the  Mexican  revolution,  when  the  gov- 
ernment of  that  republic  became  weak  in  these  provinces,  and  the  In- 
dia u%  had  learned  to  feel  their  own  comparative  strength,  they  rose 
against  these  establishments,  and  killing  many  of  the  Mexicans,  drove 
the  rest  to  the  interior,  and  were  thus  left  in  possession  of  the  herds. 


40 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Several  thriving  villages  in  the  northern  part  of  Sonora  were,  at  this 
period,  depopulated  in  the  same  way.  The  Indians  in  turn  were  at- 
tacked by  military  expeditions  sent  against  them,  but  most  of  these 
settlements  have  remained  ever  since  depopulated.  The  cattle  were 
driven  to  the  fastnesses  of  the  Indians  or  dispersed  over  the  plains,  and 
a great  many  are  still  found  roaming  over  them  in  a wild  state.  Santa 
Cruz  and  Tubac  were  depopulated  at  this  period.  Santa  Cruz,  how- 
ever, was  a few  years  afterwards  re-settled. 

On  arriving  at  this  place  Mr.  Bartlett’s  wagon  could  pass  no  further 
on;  he  therefore  abandoned  it,  and  packing  its  load  upon  mules,  he  at- 
tempted thus  to  continue  his  journey  in  search  of  Santa  Cruz  by  fol- 
lowing an  Indian  trail,  which  is  very  distinct  over  the  hills  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  stream. 

The  grass  was  very  high  all  over  the  valley,  which  concealed  the 
trail  here,  and  the  proper  ford  over  the  creek  was  not  perceived.  Tta  9 
attempt  to  ford  the  stream  was  made  lower  down,  where  it  was  very 
boggy.  The  pack-mules  got  completely  mired,  with  their  loads  on, 
and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  they  were  extricated.  This  caused  . 
the  party  to  halt,  and  Mr.  Thurber  and  Mr.  Pratt,  junior,  with  another 
man,  were  supplied  with  what  little  provisions  they  had  remaining,  and 
sent  out  to  look  for  Santa  Cruz,  with  instructions  not  to  remain  out  be- 
yond a specified  time.  They  had  been  out  two  days,  I think,  when 
we  arrived,  and  were  expected  back  on  the  evening  of  the  day  of  our 
arrival,  or  the  next  morning.  They  did  not,  however,  return.  I 
was  told  that  my  deserter,  Guadalupe,  wanted  to  go  with  this  party, 
but  they  would  not  take  him.  They  had  no  provisions  to  spare  lor 
him,  and  he  was  well  punished  lor  his  treachery.  In  the  afternoon, 
perceiving  by  the  manner  of  my  whole  party,  that  he  had  lost  our  con- 
fidence, he  came  to  me,  apparently  in  great  penitence,  and  said  in 
Spanish,  “A  man  might  be  failing  in  his  duties,  but  when  he  repented  he 
hoped  to  be  forgiven.”  Knowing  it  was  the  best  policy  to  put  him  at  his 
ease,  lest  he  should  run  off  again  with  the  mule,  and  perhaps  with  some- 
thing else,  I put  on  the  air  of  not  suspecting  him ; but  I told  all  the  par- 
ty to  keep  a watch  on  him,  especially  the  sentinels  at  night.  He  con- 
tinued with  us  and  performed  all  his  duties  with  increased  alacrity. 

September  16. — This  morning  Mr.  Clark  and  I mounted  our  horses, 
or'rather  1 my  horse  and  he  his  mule,  and  finding  the  proper  ford, 
which  has  a good  hard  gravelly  bottom,  we  crossed  the  stream  and  vis- 
ited the  old  buildings.  They  were  spacious  and  must  have  accommo- 
dated a large  settlement.  We  then  followed  down  the  stream  close  to 
its  margin,  as  we  wished  to  examine  it  closely.  We  soon  found  the 
narrow  valley,  hemmed  in  on  both  sides  by  steep  mountains  and  cov- 
ered by  a thick  growth  of  large  trees  and  undergrowth,  &c.,  so  boggy 
that  we  could  not  possibly  pass  along  in  that  direction.  We  then  turned 
abruptly  to  the  left,  and  quitting  the  stream  and  the  valley,  we  ascend- 
ed to  the  top  of  a lofty  hill  to  reconnoitre.  The  whole  view  to  the  south 
and  west  presented  the  most  broken,  rugged  mountain  aspect  I ever 
beheld.  We  tried  to  study  out  the  probable  course  of  the  stream,  but 
were  entirely  baffled.  We  could  recognise  some  of  the  mostjofty 
peaks  and  prominent  ranges  of  mountains,  which  we  had  beheld  on  the 
14th,  and  one  long  blue  range,  far  to  the  south,  which  we  could  not 


S.  Doc.  121. 


41 


then  see.  Within  the  whole  panorama  that  lay  before  us  in  the  vast 
distance,  there  did  not  appear  to  be  a space  within  which  there  could  be  a 
human  habitation,  in  the  direction  in  which  Santa  Cruz  had  been  sought 
by  either  of  the  parties,  Mexican  or  American. 

We  rode  from  one  eminence  to  another,  and  perceived  a very  plain 
Indian  trail,  which  we  followed  some  distance,  but  it  led  us  up  and 
down  over  hills  and  through  sharp  narrow  vales,  to  the  east  of  south, 
showing  that  even  the  Indians  had  not  been  able  to  find  any  but  a very 
rough  and  devious  route  for  a path  through  these  mountains.  We  re- 
turned to  camp  about  1 p.  m. 

Both  of  my  assistants,  Mr.  Clark  and  Mr.  Wright,  have  collected 
very  interesting  specimens  (in  zoology  and  botany)  here,  among  which 
will  no  doubt  be  found  a number  of  species  not  known  before. 

I called  at  Mr.  Bartlett’s  tent  this  afternoon.  Both  he  and  Mr.  Pratt 
appeared  anxious  and  uneasy  that  the  party  sent  with  Mr.  Thurber 
had  not  returned.  We  were  told  that  they  had  gone  out  to  hunt  for 
Santa  Cruz,  with  no  provisions  but  bread  enough  to  last  them  one  day. 
•Mr.  Pratt  was  in  great  distress  of  mind  on  account  of  his  son,  an 
amiable  youth,  who  he  feared  would  suffer  much  for  want  of  food.  I 
never  saw  the  affection  and  ^ixiety  of  a parent  more  strongly  evinced. 
He  sometimes  wished  he  nad  gone  himself  in  his  son’s  place,  which 
he  would  probably  have  done,  but  that  he  was  unwell  when  the  party 
started. 

Miss  Gonzales  is  very  sad,  fearing  that  her  long  wished  for  home  will 
not  be  found.  She,  however,  bears  the  disappointment  with  great  pa- 
tience. Mr.  Lawson  and  I have  been  sitting  chatting  with  her  to-day, 
and  trying  to  amuse  her.  She  said,  with  a great  deal  of  feeling,  that 
she  put  her  trust  in  a kind  Providence. 

September  17. — This  morning,  about  ten  o’clock,  Messrs.  Thurber 
and  Pratt,  with  their  attendant,  returned.  It  was  the  occasion  of 
much  gratulation  all  round.  The  party  had  suffered  much  with  hunger. 
They  looked  very  wan  and  much  reduced,  and  we  had  a comfortable 
breakfast  immediaeltv  prepared  for  them.  They  w’ere  cautioned  not  to 
satisfy  their  appetites  at  first,  as  it  is  known  to  be  dangerous  to  do  so  after 
so  long  fasting.  After  getting  out  of  the  mountain  labyrinth,  they  had 
fallen  upon  a road,  which  they  pursued  in  a west-southwest  direction, 
as  I understood  them  to  say.  They  fell  upon  one  or  two  deserted  old 
ranchos,  but  could  not  tell  what  settlements  they  were.  Hoping,  by 
these  signs,  that  they  were  upon  the  road  to  Santa  Cruz,  they  con- 
tinued their  journey  and  came  to  a village  entirely  deserted,  which, 
from  the  description  of  its  church,  was  supposed  to  be  Tubac.  Here 
they  found  not  a living  soul ; but  they  report  that  it  is  no  doubt  on  the 
route  of  the  American  emigrants  to  Calilornia,  as  they  saw  a number 
of  American  names  written  on  the  walls  of  the  church  and  houses 
with  charcoal,  with  recent  dates. 

Here  their  suffering  from  hunger  was  somewhat  alleviated  by  an 
abundance  of  fine  ripe  peaches  which  they  found  growing  here. 

Mr.  Thurber  took  the  precaution  to  cook  this  fruit  before  allowing 
the  party  \f>  eat  heartily  of  it,  which  no  doubt  prevented  them  from 
being  ill.  They  also  found  some  relief  from  eating  the  fruit  of  the 
yucca  and  the  cactus . 


42 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Some  think  the  stream  we  are  on  is  a tributary  to  the  San  Pedro  : 
others  think  it  falls  into  Santa  Cruz  river. 

This  party  had  seen  no  signs  of  the  Mexican  commissioner  and  his 
party,  and  great  uneasiness  was  now  expressed  for  Doctor  Webb. 
Young  Mr.  Pratt  gave  me  a delicious  peach,  about  an  inch  and  a half 
in  diameter,  which  he  brought  from  Tubac. 

It  was  now  decided  that  we  would  return  to  Mr.  Whipple’s  camp 
on  the  San  Pedro,  where  we  had  plenty  of  sheep  and  cattle.  Our 
camp  was  accordingly  broken  up,  and  we  marched  early  enough,  by 
the  same  route  we  had  come,  to  reach  the  head  of  the  valley  before 
night.  After  rising  from  it  to  the  plains  we  encamped  at  a water-hole 
a little  before  sunset,  very  near  the  place  where  my  party  had  halted 
on  the  14th  to  reconnoitre  this  valley. 

We  found  here  on  a hill-side  plenty  of  wood  for  cooking. 

September  18. — Marched  at  the  usual  hour,  still  upon  the  back  track. 
Passed,  near  mid-day,  a herd  of  wild  horses,  and  several  herds  of  an- 
telopes in  the  course  of  the  day.  My  party  went  in  advance  of  Mr. 
Bartlett’s,  keeping  the  proper  trail  for  the  camp  on  the  San  Pedro.* 
When  it  was  near  time  to  halt  for  the  night,  Mr.  Bartlett  sent  a man, 
with  his  compliments,  to  say  that  by  beating  more  to  the  right,  (which 
was  over  some  pretty  rough  ground,)  he  had  found  an  old  deserted 
rancho  on  the  borders  of  a small  stream,  and  inviting  me  to  come  and 
encamp  with  him.  We  did  so,  which  cost  us  an  additional  march  of 
four  or  five  miles  over  som6  very  rough  ground.  We  reached  this  spot 
about  half  an  hour  after  sunset. 

This  proved  to  be  the  old  rancho  of  Babacomori,  as  we  afterwards 
learned.  It  was  an  important  grazing  establishment,  and  was  de- 
populated about  the  time  and  in  the  manner  already  alluded  to.  It  is 
situated  on  one  of  the  branches  of  the  San  Pedro,  called  also  by  the 
name  of  the  Babacomori. 

One  of  our  men  shot,  to-day,  a young  felina ; and  Mr.  Clark  pre- 
pared the  skeleton,  though  the  head  was  somewhat  mutilated  by  the 
ball.  It  is  of  a light  fawn  or  brownish  red  on  the  back  ; lower  parts 
white,  spotted  with  black ; tail  short  and  tapering,  tipped  with  black 
and  slightly  ringed  ; the  upper  part  of  the  outside  of  the  ear  black, 
lower  whitish,  as  noted  by  Mr.  Clarke,  to  whom  belongs  the  credit  of 
this  description. 

September  19. — On  rising  this  morning  I found  that  Mr.  Bartlett  had 
despatched  two  men,  about  two  hours  before  daylight  this  morning,  to 
Mr.  Whipple’s  camp  on  the  San  Pedro,  for  some  sheep  and  flour.  He 
gave  me  no  notice  of  his  intention,  which  I thought  strange,  because  I 
wanted  to  communicate  with  Lieutenant  Whipple.  His  camp  is  not 
more  than  twenty-five  miles  north-northeast  of  us. 

This  morning,  after  breakfast,  we  saw  two  men  approaching  our 
camp  from  the  south,  at  full  run.  They  proved  to  be  Mexican  soldiers 
from  Santa  Cruz,  and  were  on  their  way  to  Lieutenant  Whipple’s 
camp  on  the  San  Pedro,  with  a letter  from  General  Conde,  addressed 
to  any  person  or  persons,  either  of  the  Mexican  or  the  American  com- 
mission, whom  they  might  happen  to  fall  in  with.  Fortunately  our 
camp  happened  to  be  in  the  route  they  were  pursuing,  and  it  was 
delivered  to  us.  This  letter,  written  in  Spanish,  stated  that  General 


S.  Doc.  121. 


43 


Conde,  with  his  son  and  others  of  his  party,  after  eight  days’  wan- 
dering, had  at  last  found  Santa  Cruz.  The  route  they  had  pursued,  on 
starting  from  the  San  Pedro,  was  much  too  far  to  the  west,  and  had 
taken  him  by  a circuitous  course  through  the  deserted  village  of  Tubac, 
&c.  He  had  suffered  much  from  hunger,  as  he  had  been  out  eight  days, 
and  had  only  two  days’  provisions  when  he  left  the  San  Pedro.  The  let- 
ter stated  that  should  these  men  meet  with  any  one  of  either  commission 
washing  to  go  to  Santa  Cruz,  they  would  guide  them  thither.  They  were 
of  the  provincial  troops  stationed  at  that  place,  which  they  left  yes- 
terday. 

We*were  now  informed  for  the  first  time  that  the  California  emigrants 
had  varied  their  route,  in  part,  from  Colonel  Cooke’s  road,  so  as,  by 
bending  to  the  south,  to  pass  through  Santa  Cruz,  and  thus  avoid  a 
very  rough  portion  of  it.  It  was  in  consequence  of  this  that  the  por- 
tion of  it  which  I had  expected  to  encounter  was  obliterated. 

Mr.  Bartlett  informed  me  that-  he  should  go  to  Santa  Cruz.  It  was 
not  a matter  for  me  to  interfere  with,  as  he  would  have  his  own  way, 
though  it  would  keep  Lieutenant  Whipple  waiting  on  the  San  Pedro 
before  undertaking  the  Gila  survey.  It  was  my  best  route  to  go  to  the 
Copper  Mines. 

It  was  necessary  now  to  send  another  courier  to  the  San  Pedro  for 
an  additional  supply  of  provisions  for  this  journey.  A soldier  was 
armed  and  mounted  on  one  of  my  best  mules  and  despatched  on  this 
errand. 

A great  many  fish  were  taken  in  the  Babacomori  to-day.  From 
their  appearance  I should  say  there  are  several  quite  new  species 
among  them.  They  were  carefully  preserved  as  specimens  to  take 
home.  Specimens  of  plants  were  also  preserved.  • 

The  twro  Mexican  soldiers  remain  with  us  as  guides  to  Santa  Cruz. 

Scjftcmbe?'  20. — This  morning  Mr.  Clark  and  I were  about  to  recoil- 
noil  re  for  a good  place  for  our  wagons  to  cross  the  Babacomori  stream, 
when  we  perceived  our  messenger  of  yesterday  returning  to  camp, 
leading  his  mule,  which  was  very  lame.  He  reported  that  he  had  got 
within  seven  or  eight  miles  of  Lieutenant  Whipple’s  camp,  Avhen  he 
saw  about  thirty  Indians,  and  being  alone,  he  hid  himself  in  a ravine 
when  they  approached  him,  and  he  thus  eluded  them.  There  he  re- 
mained all  night.  The  Mexican  soldiers  now  told  us  there  were 
a number  of  Mexicans  engaged  in  hunting  wild  cattle  upon  this  stream 
and  the  San  Pedro,  to  supply  the  troops  at  Santa  Cruz  with  beef,  and 
that  these  were  probably  the  men  our  soldier  had  taken  for  Indians.  This 
afterwards  proved  to  be  true.  The  Mexicans  are  about  the  color  of 
Indians;  that  is,  the  class  who  pursue  this  occupation  ; and  they  dress 
and  are  equipped  very  much  like  them,  so  that  the  mistake  was  a very 
natural  one.  Our  interpreter  and  another  man  were  then  sent  on  this 
errand.  Not  long  after  they  left  us,  the  messenger  who  went  early 
}~estcrday  morning  returned  with  four  sheep,  already  butchered.  A 
portion  of  this  meat  was  immediately  issued. 

To-day  a Mexican  gentleman,  Sefior  Garcia,  to  whom  belonged  the 
party  that  was  hunting  wild  cattle,  arrived  at  our  camp.  He  is  very 
intelligent,  and  gave  us  much  interesting  information  of  the  general 
topography  of  the  country.  He  told  me  he  was  interested  in  extensive 


44 


S.  Doc.  121. 


gold  mines  in  California,  where  he  had  lately  been.  In  company  with 
him  came  several  men  : among  them  was  the  step-father  of  the  Sehorita 
Inez  Gonzales,  a soldier  in  the  provincial  company  stationed  at  Santa 
Cruz.  He  told  me  he  was  employed  as  a guide  by  my  brother,  Major 
Lawrence  Pike  Graham,  of  the  2d  dragoons,  in  1848,  and  accompanied 
him  from  Santa  Cruz  to  San  Diego;  that  he  was  with  him  four  months 
in  all. 

The  meeting  between  him  and  his  step-daughter  was  very  affecting. 
I supposed,  at  the  time,  that  he  was  her  father.  In  the  afternoon,  Mr. 
Lawson  and  I wTent  into  her  tent  to  congratulate  her  on  being  restored 
to  her  father.  She  then  explained  to  us  that  he  was  her  step-father, 
and  said,  “Mi  gloria  esta  en  Santa  Cruz,”  alluding  to  her  mother. 

September  21. — We  had  a real  equinoctial  rain,  which  lasted  all  this 
day.  The  men  who  were  sent  on  the  second  message  to  the  San  Pedro 
for  sheep,  returned,  bringing  eleven  on  the  hoof.  A letter  was  brought 
to  me  from  Lieutenant  Whipple,  dated  St.  Peter’s  Spring,  on  the  Rio 
San  Pedro,  September  20,  1851,  in  which  he  writes,  “My  private 
stores,  issued  to  the  whole  party  since  the  15th  instant,  will  soon  be 
consumed.  I hope  Mr.  Bartlett  will  succeed  in  obtaining  a supply  at 
Santa  Cruz.  Mr.  Gray  left  his  camp,  en  route  for  Santa  Cruz,  on  the 
16th;  Mr.  Force  accompanied  Xt  him,  to  make  a reconnaissance  of  the 
route.  They  took  with  them  two  pack-mules  and  several  men,  hoping 
to  hasten  back  supplies  of  flour  and  sugar.  Nothing  has  been  heard  of 
, them  since  their  departure.”  We  learned,  further,  from  the  men  who 
came  from  Mr.  Whipple’s  camp,  that  Mr.  Gray’s  party  had  taken  Gen- 
eral Conde’s  route  to  go  to  Santa  Cruz.  This  seems,  indeed,  to  be  a 
very  discouraging  state  of  affairs.  I strongly  advised  Mr  Bartlett,  if 
he  would  go  to  Santa  Cruz,  to  unite  Lieutenant  Whipple’s  party  with 
his,  as  they  were  all  bound  upon  the  same  service — the  Gila  survey ; 
and  not  leave  him  alone  with  his  small  party  on  the  San  Pedro,  almost 
without  arms,  and  very  much  exposed  to  attacks  from  the  Indians,  who 
might  at  least  surprise  and  drive  off  his  mules  and  cattle.  My  sugges- 
tions were  not,  however,  heeded.  Senor  Garcia  sent  us  to-day,  from 
his  camp  near  the  mouth  of  the  Babacomori,  some  dried  beef.  His 
men  allowed  it  to  get  wet  in  the  rain,  and  most  of  it  spoiled. 

September  22. — We  started  this  morning  for  the  long-sought  Santa 
Cruz.  Some  of  the  Mexican  cattle-hunters  went  in  advance  of  us. 
We  overtook  them  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  found  them  skinning  a 
wild  bull.  They  had  another  tied  by  the  horns  to  a tree.  They  gave 
us  as  much  of  the  meat  as  we  wanted,  which,  though  very  acceptable, 
we  found  very  tough.  It  is  in  this  way  that  Santa  Cruz  is  supplied 
with  meat.  Before  we  encamped,  we  entered  a very  rough,  hilly  re- 
gion, covered  with  oak  and  thick  undergrowth,  which  impeded  our 
wagons  very  much.  We  encamped  for  the  night  among  these  hills, 
upon  a pretty  little  stream  which  afforded  water  enough  for  the  ani- 
mals and  ourselves. 

September  23. — We  had  some  difficulty  in  getting  our  wagons  over 
this  range  of  hills,  and  they  were  a good  deal  racked  by  the  roughness 
of  the  ground.  About  10  a.  m.,  we  reached  the  head  of  the  beautiful 
valley  in  which  Santa  Cruz  is  situated.  The  grass  was  abundant  and 
very  luxuriant.  The  mules  feasted  on  it  as  they  travelled.  Our  course 


S.  Doc.  121. 


45 


has  been  generally  very  nearly  south  since  we  left  the  Babacomori ; we 
made  some  easting  to  get  over  the  broken  hills,  then  resumed  very 
nearly  our  former  course.  After  travelling  a few"  miles  dow  n the  Santa 
Cruz  valley,  we  met  Mr.  Salazar,  and  Mr.  Henry  C.  Force,  one  of 
Lieutenant  Whipple’s  assistants,  who  had  accompanied  Mr.  Gray’s 
party.  Mr.  Salazar  had  passed  my  camp  on  the  San  Pedro  on  the 
night  of  the  9th  instant,  without  letting  me  know  it.  I regretted  it,  be- 
cause I wished  to  induce  him,  if  possible,  to  make  arrangements  for 
joining  me  in  the  survey  of  the  Rio’ Grande  at  an  earlier  period  than  he 
had  proposed.  He  now  told  me  distinctly  it  would  be  impossible  for 
him  to  begin  that  work  before  the  first  week  in  November.  He  was 
returning  with  provisions,  to  enable  him  to  finish  the  north  line  to  the 
Gila,  which  the  Mexican  commission  was  carrying  on  ex  parte.  * 

It  seems  Mr.  Salazar  was  fortunate  in  missing  Gen.  Conde’s  track 
from  the  San  Pedro.  He  took  a course  which  brought  him  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Tucson,' * where  he  obtained  provisions  to  travel  upon. 

The  Mexicans  say  this  village  is  only  two  days’  ride  from  the  Pimo 
village,  on  the  Gila.  Mr.  Gray  and  Mr.  Force  followed  the  track  of 
Mr.  Salazar,  which  was  lucky  for  them,  as  it  seemed  to  have  saved 
them  much  suffering.  They  reached  Santa  Cruz  yesterday.  Mr. 
Force  wras  now,  after  having  made  a very  interesting  sketch  of  the 
route,  returning  to  Lieut.  Whipple.  I asked  him  if  he  was  carrying 
with  him  any  flour?  He  said  he  could  not  obtain  that  or  anything  else 
at  Santa  Cruz,  and  had  only  a loaf  of  bread  as  a present  for  the  Lieu- 
tenant. From  all  I learned  from  him  I concluded  it  was  best  not  to 
detain  him,  but  to  allow  him  to  go  on  with  Mr.  Salazar’s  party  as  far 
as  Lieut.  Whipple’s  camp. 

It  was  known,  as  we  approached  Santa  Cruz,  that,  the  Seflorita  Inez 
Gonzales  was  with  us.  This  valley  is  so  level  that  our  party  could  be 
seen  a long  way  off.  Her  mother,  assisted  by  the  priest,  had  prepared 
for  a very  interesting  reception  of  this  long-lost  child.  Nearly  all  the 
village  turned  out,  the  young  girls  all  dressed  in  white,  and,  forming  a 
procession,  conducted  her  to  the  church,  where  divine  service  was 
performed  and  thanks  offered  up  to  the  Divine  Creator  for  her  deliver- 
ance. 

We  reached  this  village  about  four  o’clock  in  the  afternoon.  The 
parties  did  not  all  come  in  together.  Here  I met  General  Conde,  his 
son  Mr.  A.  Conde,  Captain  Jimenes,  and  others  of  the  Mexican  com- 
mission. General  Conde  very  kindly  told  me  he  had  engaged  quarters 
for  me  in  the  village,  adjoining  his  own,  a very  cool,  comfortable  adobe 
house.  All  the  houses  here  are  built  of  that  material.  I thanked  the 
General,  but  I declined  the  quarters,  because  I thought  I ought  to  en- 
camp with  my  men,  and  accordingly  chose  a spot  overlooking  the 
valley,  where  we  pitched  our  tents  and  stationed  our  wagons. 

General  Conde  gave  me  a history  of  his  travels  between  the  San 
Pedro  and  this  place.  He  was  deceived  in  his  impressions  as  to  the 
direction  of  this  village  from  the  camp  on  the  San  Pedro.  He  was 
five  days  without  anything  to  eat,  except  a few  peaches  he  found  at 
Tubac  and  sgme  mesquit  beans  they  gathered  from  the  bushes  on  the 


* Improperly  written  Tubson  on  DisturneU’s  map. 


46 


S.  Doc.  121. 


plains.  But  for  these  he  thought  that  he  and  his  party  would  all  have 
perished.  He  told  me  he  twice  dismounted  from  his  horse  intending 
to  shoot  him  for  provisions,  but  could  not  have  the  heart  to  do  it.  He 
was  much  thinner  than  when  I last  saw  him,  but  he  was  very  cheerful 
and  did  not  look  at  all  ill.  He,  however,  told  me  he  was  suffering 
very  much  at  his  stomach,  and  had  to  be  cautious  to  eat  nothing  but 
the  most  digestible  food. 

I found  this  village  to  answer  very  nearly  to  Captain  Castro’s 
description  of  it.  Its  population  does  not  appear  now  to  exceed  three 
hundred  and  fifty  persons.  Many  are,  however,  absent  on  hunting  ex- 
peditions after  wild  cattle,  &c.  Perhaps  there  may  be  between  four 
hundred  and  four  hundred  and  fifty  residents  belonging  here,  when  all 
ajjp  at  home. 

The  people  are  poor,  and  many  of  them  have  a squalid  appearance. 

In  approaching  the  village  we  passed  by  a large  field  of  green  corn, 
and  next  to  it  was  another  of  pumpkins,  water-melons,  musk-melons, 
&c.  The  villagers  appear  to  subsist  chiefly  on  such  trash  as  this  at 
this  season.  A few  pigs  and  some  poultry  are  seen  about,  but  their 
owners  seemed  unwilling  to  sell  them.  We  are  told  we  will  not  be 
able  to  procure  any  meat  here,  and  but  little  flour ; for,  although  there 
is  a grist-mill  here,  there  is  great  difficulty  in  procuring  wheat  to  grind. 
We  found  Dr.  Webb,  secretary  to  Mr.  Bartlett,  here,  on  our  arrival. 

September  24  to  27. — I succeeded  in  getting  from  the  miller  here 
a few  fanegas  of  pinole , as  it  is  called  here,  which  signifies  a coarse 
flour  made  from  parched  wheat  without  being  bolted,  equal  to  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  per  fanega ; also  a few  fanegas  of  flour. 
Of  this  supply  I turned  over  to  Mr.  Gray,  to  deliver  to  Lieutenant 
Whipple  on  the  San  Pedro,  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 

Mr.  Bartlett  told  me  he  intended  to  visit  or  send  to  some  of  the  vil- 
lages, to  the  south,  in  order  to  procure  flour  and  sugar.  That  then  he 
would  accompany  the  surveying  parties  down  the  Gila.  General 
Conde  told  me  he  intended  to  do  so,  too ; and  both  of  them  expressed 
the  belief  that  they  would  finish  the  survey  of  this  river  and  be  back 
at  El  Paso  in  January,  1852. 

On  the  26th  Mr.  Clark  and  I hunted  throughout  the  village  to  see  if 
we  could  purchase  meat,  poultry,  or  anything  else  to  improve  our  scant 
supply  of  provisions,  but  we  were  entirely  unsuccessful,  any  further 
than  to  get  dried  beef  enough  for  a single  meal  for  all  our  party. 

A half-grown  hog  was  offered  to  us  for  the  enormous  price  of  eight 
dollars,  and  a common-sized  hog  at  twelve  dollars,  which  we  de- 
clined giving. 

We  were  not  enabled  to  buy  poulty,  eggs,  or  anything  else.  Milk 
and  butter  are  exceedingly  rare,  although  the  country  offers  but  little, 
in  its  natural  aspect,  but  the  best  of  pasturage.  On  this  day,  the  26th, 
I called  on  Commissioner  Bartlett,  at  his  tent,  in  company  with  my 
secretary,  Mr.  Lawson,  and  requested  him  to  permit  me  to  see  the 
journal  of  the  proceedings  of  the  joint  board,  so  far  as  related  to  the 
agreements  and  understandings  in  respect  to  the  mode  of  carrying  on 
the  field-work,  the  organizations  of  parties,  & c.  # 

He  refused  me  this  satisfaction.  I told  him  that  by  his  instructions 
from  the  Department  of  the  Interior  of  October  23,  1850,  it  was  con- 
templated that  I would  be  present  at  the  board  when  these  details 


S.  Doc.  121. 


47 


were  being  arranged,  and  that  our  government  evidently  intended  that 
I should  be  in  possession  of  full  information  on  these  points.  He  still, 
however,  refused  me  all  opportunity  to  know  from  the  record  what 
was  done  in  respect  to  these  matters. 

On  the  27th  we  succeeded  in  purchasing  about  eighty  pounds  of 
very  bad  dried  beef,  for  which  we  had  to  pay  the  price  of  thirty-seven 
and  a half  cents  per  pound. 

More  was  offered  at  that  rate,  but  we  declined  it;  as,  having  now 
flour  enough  to  last  my  party  to  the  Copper  Mines,  we  determined  to 
start  on  the  28th,  and  depend,  in  part,  on  killing  wild  cattle,  if  we 
should  be  short  in  meat. 

Some  interesting  fish  were  taken  in  the  Santa  Cruz  river,  which  runs 
through  this  valley  in  a southerly  direction.  These  specimens  will  be 
found  in  the  collection  which  I brought  in  with  me  on  my  return  from 
the  boundary.  The  river  here  is  but  a small  brook. 

The  church  is  like  all  village  churches  in  northern  Mexico.  It  has 
its  ornamented  altar,  its  fountain  of  holy  water,  and  a few  oil  paint- 
ings. I saw  only  one  that  I thought  good.  It  was  a very  old  one  of 
the  Mother  and  infant  Saviour.  Although  very  dirty  from  age,  the 
grace  of  attitude,  the  coloring,  and  the  chiaro  oscuro  were  very  good. 
The  building  is  of  rubble-stone,  plaistered  in  front.  The  cracked 
tone  of  the  bell  was  very  disagreeable.  This  and  the  abominable 
howling  of  the  numerous  dogs  at  night  annoyed  us  very  much,  the 
latter  keeping  us  awake. 

September  28. — General  Conde  called  at  my  tent  this  morning.  He 
complained  very  much  of  the  sensation  at  his  stomach,  about  which 
he  felt  uneasy.  He  told  me  he  was  about  to  send  off  his  despatches 
to  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  again  asked  me  whether  I would  put  Lieu- 
tenant Whipple  back  upon  the  line  he  was  taken  from,  between  the 
Rio  Grande  and  the  Gila,  after  he  should  finish  the  survey  of  the  last 
mentioned  river  ? I gave  him  pretty  much  the  same  answer  I had 
given  on  this  subject  when  he  spoke  to  me  about  it  at  the  camp  on  the 
San  Pedro,  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  instant.  He  said  he  expected  in 
a few  days  more  to  complete  his  supply  of  provisions  for  the  Gila  sur- 
vey ; that  he  intended  to  accompany  the  parties  on  that  survey,  and 
when  finished,  he  would  return  immediately  through  Sonora  to  El  Paso, 
where  he  hoped  to  be  in  January  ensuing.* 

About  noon  to-day  I set  out  with  my  party  on  our  return  to  the 
Copper  Mines.  I confess  I felt  no  little  distress  of  mind  to  think  that 
so  much  time  had  been  lost  that  ought  to  have  been  applied  to  the 
work  upon  the  line.  I had  done  all  in  my  power  to  promote  its  pro- 
gress ; but  there  was  a great  want  of  concert  of  action  between  the 
commissions  of  the  two  governments,  which  was  calculated  to  produce 
confusion  and  delay  in  spite  of  the  best  plans  of  organization  for  the 
scientific  departments  that  could  possibly  have  been  adopted. 

On  the  10th  of  October  we  arrived  at  the  Copper  Mines,  having 

*Note. — After  my  return  to  Frontera  in  November,  I learned  from  Mr.  Salazar  y Larre- 
gui  that  General  Conde’s  indisposition  increased  to  a serious  illness,  which  obliged  him  to 
abandon  the  idea  of  accompanying  the  parties  on  the  survey  of  the  river  Gila,  and  to  retire  to 
Arispe  in  o der  to  obtain  medical  advice.  He  was  seized  with  a gastric  fever,  as  I was  in- 
formed, which  brought  on  a decline  that  terminated  his  life  on  the  19th  of  December,  1651, 
aged  about  fifty  years. 


48 


S.  Doc.  12'. 


been  absent  forty-four  days  instead  of  eight,  as  had  been  expected. 
We  were  occupied  here,  in  making  the  necessary  preparations  to  dis- 
mantle and  abandon  this  establishment,  until  the  1st  of  November. 
It  was  necessary  for  the  quartermaster  to  go  down  to  El  Paso  to  obtain 
transportation  for  the  public  property  which  was  to  be  transferred  to 
Frontera. 

On  arriving  at  Dona  Ana,  arrangements  were  made  to  put  a survey- 
ing party  in  the  field  to  survey  the  river  downward,  in  accordance 
with  the  direction  of  the  joint  commission  of  the  7th  of  September. 

Mr.  Commissioner  Bartlett  assured  me  it  was  understood  at  the 
joint  board  that  in  beginning  thus  high  up  it  was  in  order  that  the  sur- 
vey might  embrace  both  of  the  points  in  dispute  in  regard  to  the  ques- 
tion, which  was  the  true  initial  point  on  the  Rio  Grande,  since  the 
protest  entered  by  Mr.  Gray?  This  point,  Mr.  Bartlett  assured  me, 
was  still  an  open  question  ; that  our  government  would  be  in  nowise 
committed  upon  it  in  beginning  thus  high  up.  Under  these  circum- 
stances I could  have  no  objection  to  making  the  survey.  When  prop- 
erly made  it  would  be  very  useful  in  exhibiting  information  which 
would  shed  light  on  the  question  in  dispute,  and  thus  tend  to  an  equi- 
table settlement  of  it. 

The  youno-  oentleman  who  had  been  designated  as  its  chief  in  the 
plan  of  organization  on  our  part,  of  August  27,  was  ill  with  rheumatism, 
and  was  reported  by  the  physician  of  the  commission  as  unfit  for  dut}r. 
The  gentleman  next  to  him  had  gone  to  El  Paso,  whilst  I was  ab- 
sent from  that  place,  and  the  other  members  of  the  surveying  corps 
present  were  not  willing  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  conducting  this 
survey.  I offered  the  position  to  two  of  them,  who  declined  it,  stating 
as  a reason  their  want  of  experience  in  the  use  of  the  instruments.  I 
wTas  obliged,  then,  to  place  Mr.  Wright,  one  of  my  computers,  in  charge 
of  it.  He  was  a good  mathematician,  and  had  some  knowledge  of 
surveying,  and  was  willing  to  undertake  the  task.  After  having  ffiven 
all  instructions  necessary  to  set  this  party  in  the  field,  I continued  on 
to  Frontera. 

Here  I learned  that  the  young  gentleman  who  had  been  designated 
as  the  head  of  the  other  surveying  party,  for  the  Rio  Grande,  was  at 
the  village  of  El  Paso,  and  was  also  ill.*  I was,  therefore,  obliged  to 
assign  my  draughtsman,  Mr.Hippel,  to  the  charge  of  this  party,  for  there 
was  no  one  else  there  who  had  experience  and  a knowledge  of  instru- 
ments sufficient  to  conduct  it.  I had  been  cut  off,  by  the  United  States 
commissioner,  from  all  means  of  knowing  the  merits  of  those  who 
were  stationed  at  the  Copper  Mines,  when  I arrived  there,  and  I was 
allowed  no  participation  in  the  selections  that  were  made  when  the 
corps  was  reduced  in  number.  Of  course  I could  not  be  in  any  way 
responsible  for  its  efficiency ; and  I so  wrote  to  the  Department  of  the 
Interior  under  date  of  August  16,  1851.+  The  organization,  as  it  ex- 
isted after  the  reduction,  was  forced  upon  me  by  the  commissioner  in 
violation  of  the  most  emphatic  instructions  to  the  contrary. 

On  communicating  with  Mr.  Salazar  y Larregui,  the  Mexican  as- 
tronomer and  surveyor,  who  was  appointed  to  co-operate  with  me  as 


*See  physician’s  certificate,  Appendix  No.  152. 


f See  Appendix  No.  121. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


49 


the  representative  of  the  Mexican  commission,  I found  him  ill  also. 
He  was  suffering,  at  El  Paso,  with  an  harassing  attack  of  intermittent 
fever.  This  rendered  him  unfit  for  field  duty,  and  there  was  no  engi- 
neer officer  or  surveyor,  of  the  Mexican  commission,  with  him  to  take 
his  place.  On  the  12th  of  November  I addressed  to  him  a note  ex- 
pressing my  regret  at  his  illness,  and  proposing  to  call  upon  him  at  his 
own  house,  in  order  that  we  might  at  once  enter  into  the  necessary  ar- 
rangements to  forward  the  work,  in  accordance  with  the  agreement  of 
the  joint  commission  of  the  7th  of  September,  1851.  He  replied,  on 
the  following  day,  to  the  effect  that  he  had  been  instructed  by  the 
Mexican  commissioner,  under  date  of  the  30th  of  September,  (two 
days  after  my  last  conference  with  him  at  Santa  Cruz,)  that  he  might 
agree  with  me  upon  the  plan,  but  that  he  (Mi.  Salazar)  must  not  go  on 
with  this  work  until  he  (General  Conde)  should  return  to  El  Paso. 

The  correspondence  that  ensued  between  Mr.  Salazar  and  my- 
self on  this  subject  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix,  marked  Nos.  143, 
144,  153,  and  154.  This  led  to  the  agreement  between  us  of  the 
24th  November,  which  is  annexed,  marked  No.  15G  ; and  the  progress 
of  my  parties  on  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  fruits  of  their  labors  were 
thus  officially  ratified.  But  for  this  arrangement  nothing  but  the  pros- 
pect of  the  most  vexatious  and  continued  delays  would  have  awaited  us. 

It  was  on  the  day  after  the  conclusion  of  this  agreement  that  the 
orders  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  recalling  me  from  this  work, 
were  delivered  to  me.  I immediately  entered  into  arrangements  with 
Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory,  of  the  topographical  engineers,  the  officer 
appointed  to  relieve  me,  to  turn  over  to  him  the  instruments  with  which 
I had,  for  the  second  time,  fitted  out  this  boundary  expedition,  and  the 
other  public  property  in  my  custody,  as  was  directed  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior.  The  annexed  paper,  marked  No.  176,  will  show 
what  that  equipment  was,  and  how  far  my  exertions  contributed  to  re- 
lieve this  work  of  the  destitution,  in  regard  to  surveying  apparatus, 
which  had  absolutely  paralyzed  its  operations  before  my  arrival. 

The  annexed  paper,  marked  No.  175,  will  show,  in  full,  what  the 
equipment  was  before  my  arrival.  It  is  an  abstract  of  Lieutenant 
Whipple’s  invoice,  rendered  to  me,  of  all  the  commission  had  in  pos- 
session when  I arrived.  It  includes  everything  he  received  from  Major 
Emory,  and  everything  he  procured  afterwards. 

From  the  foregoing  statement  I beg  leave  now  to  present  for  your 
consideration  the  following 


SUMMARY,  VIZ  ; 

1.  I was  detailed  for  this  boundary  service,  and  directed  to  report  to 
the  Department  of  the  Interior  for  its  instructions,  on  the  21st  of  October, 
1850,  which  order  I obeyed  without  delay.  On  the  23d  of  that  month 
the  instructions  of  the  department  were  issued  to  me;  (see  No.  12.) 
They  required  me  to  look  into  the  state  of  the  astronomical  and  sur- 
veying apparatus,  as  far  as  the  files  of  that  office  would  afford  inform- 
ation on  the  subject,  and  to  submit  to  the  department  my  views  in  regard 
to  any  further  supplies  that  might  be  necessary  in  that  department  of 
the  equipment,  and  when  this  should  be  completed  to  join  the  commis- 


50 


S.  Doc.  121. 


sion  in  the  field.  A copy  of  the  instructions  to  Mr.  Commissioner  Bart- 
lett, of  the  same  date,  was  furnished  to  me,  by  which  both  he  and  I 
were  directed  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior  to  be  governed.  (See 
No.  13.) 

2.  I asked  to  be  allowed  to  look  at  Mr.  Commissioner  Bartlett’s  return 
of  instruments  taken  by  him  into  the  field.  There  was  no  such  return 
to  be  found. 

After  perusing,  as  I was  requested  to  do,  the  whole  of  the  boundary 
correspondence,  I came  to  the  conviction,  and  so  reported  to  the  depart- 
ment, that  the  equipment  taken  out  to  El  Paso  was  altogether  inade- 
quate to  the  work  to  be  accomplished,  and  I immediately  adopted  steps 
to  have  instruments  made  of  a description  suitable  to  the  service.  No 
time  was  lost  in  doing  this#  It  was  begun  at  a moment  when  nobody 
but  myself  would  believe  or  admit  that  there  was  any  deficiency. 

The  department  relied  upon  the  commission’s  being  supplied  at  El 
Paso  with  instruments  which  Mr.  Gray  was  directed  to  convey  thither 
from  San  Diego,  under  its  orders  dated  the  23d  of  October,  1850,  (the 
day  I received  my  instructions,)  which  orders  did  not  leave  Washington 
until  about  the  7th  of  November,  or  perhaps  later,  judging  from  the  post- 
script, which  shows  that  it  was  not  mailed  in  time  for  the  first  steamer 
after  its  date.  (See  page  6,  ante.)  This  brought  its  departure  from 
Washington  to  a later  day  than  that  appointed  for  the  joint  commission 
to  begin  its  operations  at  El  Paso. 

Mr.  Gray  never  undertook  to  transfer  these  instruments  to  El  Paso. 
.His  orders  to  do  so  did  not  reach  him  at  all  at  San  Diego.  He  left  that 
place  about  the  same  period  as  their  date,  and  reached  Washington 
.about  the  middle  of  December,  1850,  demonstrating  that  all  refi- 
nance for  instruments  on  this  measure  had  entirely  failed.  The 
department  afterwards  abandoned  altogether  the  idea  of  obtaining 
instruments  from  San  Diego,  and  ordered  all  that  were  not  necessary 
for  running  the  fine  between  that  place  and  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  to 
be  shipped  to  New  York,  where  they  did  not  arrive  until  some  time 
towards  the  end  of  the  }rear  1851,  or  beginning  of  1852. 

3.  In  November,  1850,  Major  W.  H.  Emory  was  directed  to  make 
to  the  Department  of  the  Interior  a return,  founded  on  the  best  inform- 
ation in  his  possession,  showing  the  then  condition  and  distribution  of 
the  apparatus  which  had  been  in  his  possession.  This  return  was  not 
.accomplished  until  about  the  8th  of  January,  1851.  It  was  then  made 
-under  his  supervision,  at  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  and  on  the 
10th  of  that  month  it  was  placed  in  my  possession;  (see  No.  173.) 

It  proved  that  all  my  views,  in  regard  to  the  deficiency  in  the  equip- 
ment of  instruments  carried  out  by  Commissioner  Bartlett  to  El  Paso, 
were  substantially  correct,  and  that,  had  I not  taken  the  proper  steps 
to  remedy  the  evil  before  leaving  for  El  Paso,  the  expedition  must  have 
failed  for  a long  time  to  make  any  progress  of  any  account  in  the  sur- 
veying department  of  the  work. 

4.  In  January,  1849,  under  the  orders  of  the  Hon.  James  Buchanan, 
-Secretary  of  State,  I equipped  this  boundary  expedition  with  a complete 
set  of  instruments  which  had  been  used  under  my  direction  in  the 
survey  of  the  northeastern  boundary.  This  equipment,  together  with 
some  items  that  were  afterwards  added  to  it,  was  immediately  carried 
to  the  Pacific,  in  order  to  begin  the  survey  of  the  boundary  at  San 


S.  Doc.  1-21. 


51 


Diego,  in  conformity  with  the  requirements  of  the  treaty.  After  making 
a survey  of  the  harbor  of  San  Diego,  and  another  of  the  locality  showing 
the  junction  of  the  river  Gila  with  the  Colorado,  and  having  determined 
the  latitudes  and  longitudes  of  those  two  points,  which  are  the  extrem- 
ities of  the  straight  line  forming  the  southern  boundary  of  California, 
the  joint  commission  adjourned,  on  the  15th  of  February,  1850,  to  meet 
again  at  El  Paso  del  Norte  on  the  first  Monday  of  the  following  No- 
vember, from  whence  to  resume  operations  in  the  field. 

A few  days  after  the  adjournment  at  San  Diego  the  Hon.  John  B. 
Weller  retired  from  the  post  of  commissioner  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States. 

It  does  not  appear  that  any  steps  were  taken  by  his  successor  to 
transfer  the  main  bod^  of  the  instruments  to  the  new  point  of  begin- 
ning. All  the  information  that  could  be  obtained  from  the  files  of  the 
Department  of  the  Interior  on  this  subject  was  contained  in  Major 
Emory’s  letter  from  San  Diego,  of  April  2,  1850.  By  this  it  appeared 
that  Lieutenant  Whipple  would  be  ordered  to  select  from  the  instru- 
ments in  his  charge,  and  those  shipped  to  Boston,  sufficient  to  set  up 
an  observatory  at  the  Paso  del  Norte,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  funds; 
and  stating  that  it  would  expedite  the  work  if  he  were  sent  there  im- 
mediately, and  in  advance  of  the  commission.  (See  p.  3,  ante.) 

The  transfer  here  contemplated  amounted  to  only  enough  instru- 
ments to  set  up  an  observatory  at  El  Paso. 

Nowhere  could  I find  any  indication  of  a transfer  to  that  point  of  the 
main  body  of  the  instruments  applicable  to  the  surveying  department. 

The  return  made  out  in  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  in  January, 
1851,  above  alluded  to,  showed  that  there  remained  at  San  Diego  and 
its  vicinity,  at  that  date,  the  principal  part  of  the  surveying  apparatus, 
namely : 

7 theodolites,  (including  the  two  which  w^ere  set  down  as  goniome- 
ters,) which  appeared  to  be  the  total  number  borne  on  the  return. 

3 (out  of  the  4)  surveying  compasses. 

10  (out  of  the  13)  prismatic  compasses. 

10  (out  of  the  13)  surveying  chains. 

80  (out  of  the  110)  marking  pins. 

3 (out  of  the  5)  sextants. 

1 (the  only  one)  parabolic  reflector,  for  use  in  tracing  meridians, 
parallels  of  latitude,  &c. 

I do  not  enumerate  the  meteorological  apparatus,  and  other  articles 
intended  for  collateral  objects  of  investigation,  as  they  afforded  no  aid 
4tb  the  main  object  in  view,  namely,  the  running  of  the  line. 

^ The  same  return  showed  that  there  had  been  placed  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Lieutenant  Whipple,  to  take  to  El  Paso,  the  following,  viz: 

3 astronomical  transits. 

6 chronometers. 

1 repeating  circle  of  reflexion. 

2 sextants. 

1 astronomical  telescope,  (of  4 feet,)  with  equatorial  mounting. 

No  theodolite  or  railroad  transit  whatever. 

1 azimuth  or  field  surveying  instrument,  (but  it  was  without  its  tripod 
stand  for  mounting  it  for  use.) 


52 


S.  Doc.  121. 


IS 


: 

v 


1 surveyor’s  compass  only. 

2 prismatic  compasses  only. 

No  surveyor’s  chain  whatever. 

No  marking  pins  whatever. 

1 reconnoitring  spy-glass. 

The  supply  of'  meteorological  and  magnetic  apparatus,  for  observing 
on  the  climate,  and  the  dip,  variation  and  intensity,  was  liberal  enough } 
but,  while  these  were  very  interesting  objects  of  attention,  they  did  not 
aid  at  all  in  the  running  of’  the  boundary  line. 

And  yet  there  remained  only  about  one  hundred  and  forty-five  or  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  be  surveyed  and  marked  on  the  Pacific  side — 
that  is,  between  San  Diego  and  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  river ; whereas, 
there  remained  to  be  surveyed  and  marked  ft#n  El  Paso  del  Norte, 
by  running  westward  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gila,  and  eastward  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande,  about  twenty-five  hundred  miles,  including 
the  sinuosities  of  the  rivers.  It  was  a line  stretching  almost  entirely  across 
the  American  continent,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  within  one  hundred 
and  fo^-five  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  the  Pacific  ocean.  It  may 
Ns.  very  justly  be  called  the  most  extensive  geodetic  line  ever  projected, 
by  any  nation,  in  ancient  or  modern  times.  The  preparations  for  un- 
dertaking it,  then,  should  have  been,  and  had  yet  to  be  made,  commen- 
surate with  its  magnitude  ; and  this  important  duty,  and  all  the  respon- 
sibilities belonging  to  it,  were  devolved  upon  me,  and  had  to  be  per- 
fected after  the  developments  made  by  the  return  of  January,  1851. 
Fortunately,  I had  been  looking  to  these  preparations  from  the  first  mo- 
ment I was  detailed  for  this  duty  ; and  on  the  19th  of  the  succeeding 
month,  the  main  body  of  the  equipment  I had  prepared  had  been 
shipped  from  New  York,  and  was  on  its  way  to  the  field  of  operations. 

Almost  all  the  surveying  apparatus  proper  had  been  made  in  the  in- 
strument shops,  under  my  own  supervision,  after  I was  detailed  for  the 
duty,  and  they  could  have  been  procured  in  no  other  way. 

5.  The  next  defect  in  the  organization  of  this  commission,  most  im- 
portant to  be  remedied,  was  the  manner  in  which  selections  had  been 
made  in  appointing  the  surveying  corps.  - 

There  were,  proportionably,  but  few  of  its  members  who  had  had 
any  experience  in  Athe  use  of  instruments.  Many  of  those  appointed 
computers,  whose  duties  were  to  compute  out  the  results  of  astronomi- 
cal observations  as  they  were  made,  did  not  understand  mathematics 
at  all,  and  were  altogether  disqualified  for  their  duties. 

These  being  things  well  understood  when  I was  detailed,  and  know- 
ing, as  I did,  that  the  work  could  not  go  on  without  a reform  in  these 
respects,  one  of  my  first  steps  was  to  request  that  the  Department  of 
the  Interior  would  make  application  for  several  officers  of  topographi- 
cal engineers,  in  addition  to  the  two  then  upon  the  work,  to  assist  me. 

I considered  them  indispensable  to  the  reform  in  the  scientific  corps, 
contemplated  by  the  instructions  of  October  23,  1850. 

Instead  of  this  assistance,  one  of  the  two  officers  above  alluded  to 
was  taken  from  me  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  and  set  to  run- 
ning the  line,  and  erecting  the  monuments,  between  San  Diego  and  the 
mouth  of  the  Gila,  leaving  but  one  to  aid  in  the  extensive  surveys  be- 
tween the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  mouth  of  the  Gila. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


53 


When  the  department  informed  me  of  this,  I very  respectfully  ad- 
dressed a letter  to  it,  dated  January  4,  1851,*  requesting  that  an  ap- 
plication might  be  made  for  three  other  officers  of  that  corps  to  aid  in 
this  extensive  work. 

In  that  letter  will  be  found  the  following  remark:  “From  all  that  I 
can  learn  of  the  organization  that  has  gone  out,  I am  satisfied  that  my 
chief  aid  in  the  scientific  duties  on  this  line  must  be  derived  from  the 
corps  of  topographical  engineers.”  I was  unable  to  get  the  assistance 
asked  for.  In  my  letter  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  dated  at 
Indianola,  Texas,  April  26,  1851, 1 stated,  “up  to  this  moment  no  officers 
liave  reported  to  me,  and  I have  been  compelled  to  continue  the  very 
arduous  duty  of  attending  personally  and  alone  to  superintending  every 
detail  connected  with  the  service  I was  appointed  to  direct.”! 

It  was  not  until  the  10th  of  May,  1851,  that  any  officer  did  report 
to  me  for  duty  on  this  work. 

On  that  day  Lieutenant  W.  F.  Smith,  of  the  topographical  engineers, 
joined  me  at  San  Antonio,  Texas.  Two  days  afterwards  Lieutenants 
Tillinghast  and  Burnside,  of  the  artillery,  reported  tb  me  there  as  quar- 
termasters and  commissaries  of  the  commission  under  the  new  system. 

In  my  letter  to  the  topographical  bureau  of  the  30th  of  June,  1851, 
reporting  my  arrival  at  El  Paso,  I stated  “ I would  be  very  glad  if  two 
graduates  of  the  Military  Academy  of  the  present  year  could  be  de- 
tailed for  this  service,  and  ordered  out,  by  way  of  Santa  Fe,  to  report 
to  me  on  this  line.  The  great  extent  of  this  boundary  renders  at 
least  four  assistants  from  the  corps  very  necessary  to  insure  the  de- 
sired progress  in  surveying  and  marking  it.  Civil  engineers  of  the 
necessary  qualifications  cannot  be  obtained  in  this  part  of  the  country, 
and  they  could  not  be  engaged  at  the  north  except  at  very  high  sala- 
ries— more,  indeed,  than  the  appropriation  will  bear.”| 

In  addition  to  Lieutenant  Whipple,  who  was  already  on  the  line 
before  I was  detailed,  only  one  officer  of  topographical  engineers 
(Lieutenant  W.  F.  Smith)  ever  did  join  me  whilst  I was  in  charge 
of  it.  Lieutenant  Michler,  who  had  been  named  for  the  duty,  was 
on  a sick  leave,  and  absent  from  San  Antonio  when  I arrived  there. 
He  did  not  get  his  orders  to  report  to  me  until  long  after  I was  upon 
the  line.  He  arrived  at  El  Paso  with  the  order  to  relieve  me  the 
latter  part  of  November,  1851.  His  reporting  to  me  was  a mere 
matter  of  form  to  enable  me  to  order  him  to  report  to  Major  Emory, 
which  I did  on  the  3d  of  December,  preparatory  to  resigning  my  post 
to  that  officer,  under  the  orders  of  the  department. 

6.  After  the  equipment  of  instruments  had  been  shipped  from  New 
York,  and  I had  forwarded  a schedule  of  them  to  the  department,  I 
proceeded  to  Washington  under  the  request  contained  in  the  letter  of  the 
chief  clerk  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  dated  February  11, 1851.§ 

On  my  arrival,  which  I think  was  on  the  25th  of  February,  I report- 
ed myself  in  person  to  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  Im- 
mediatety,  the  letter  from  Mr.  Commissioner  Bartlett,  alluded  to  in  the 
chief  clerk’s  letter  to  me,  was  put  into  my  hands  for  perusal.  It  con- 


*See  Appendix,  No.  29 
ISee  Appendix,  No.  77. 


fSee  Appendix,  No.  GO. 

§ See  Appendix,  No.  45. 


54 


S.  Doc.  121. 


veyed  to  the  department  the  information  that  Commissioner  Bartlett 
was  at  El  Paso,  destitute  of  surveying  instruments,  and  that  he  had 
sent  an  agent  (Mr.  Sanford)  to  New  Orleans,  who,  after  purchasing 
provisions,  was  instructed  to  go  to  New  York  and  purchase  a set  of 
instruments.  That,  while  General  Conde,  the  Mexican  commissioner, 
was  aided  by  the  services  of  several  officers  of  the  Mexican  engineer 
corps,  who  appeared  to  be  very  efficient,  the  surveying  corps  on  the 
part  of  the  United  States  was  totally  inefficient,  with  the  exception 
alone  of  Lieutenant  Whipple,  and  requesting  that  the  evil  might  be 
remedied  by  the  detail  of  more  officers  of  that  corps. 

In  regard  to  the  destitution  in  instruments  I had,  by  my  own  perse- 
verance, anticipated  the  remedy  of  that  evil,  and  the  instruments  were 
on  their  way  to  the  field  of  operations  but  a few  days  after  the  commis- 
sioner’s call  for  them  reached  the  department. 

In  regard  to  supplying  efficient  engineers,  I had  before  brought  that 
subject  to  the  attention  of  the  department,  and  had  done  all  in  my 
power  to  procure  them. 

The  third  point  in  Mr.  Bartlett’s  letter  was  an  expression  of  dissat- 
isfaction with  his  quartermaster,  and  stating  that  it  was  his  original 
wish  that  an  army  officer  should  have  been  detailed  for  that  post. 
This  led  to  the  change  of  system  for  the  quartermaster’s  and  the  commis- 
sariat departments  of  the  commission,  both  of  which  it  was  determined 
should  be  filled  by  army  officers  of  experience,  if  the  detail  of  two  for 
that  purpose  could  be  obtained.  It  was  at  the  request  of  the  depart- 
ment that  I agreed  to  take  charge  of  them.  The  department  accord- 
ingly applied  to  the  War  Department,  and  the  detail  was  ordered. 
These  officers  were  directed  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior  to 
report  to  me,  leaving  it  to  me,  as  they  stated  to  me,  to  give  them  the 
necessary  instructions.* 

I certainly  understood  that  I was  to  govern,  and  to  be  responsible 
for,  the  expenditures  in  these  two  departments,  and  hence,  when  these 
officers  reported  to  me  at  San  Antonio,  I at  onced  placed  them  on  duty 
and  prescribed  the  fiscal  system  and  the  rules  of  accountability  by 
which  they  were  to  be  governed,  which  I submitted  without  delay  to 
the  department.!  When,  by  the  reply  of  the  department,  I found 
nothing  said  in  relation  to  this  proposed  fiscal  system,!  ai*d  the  com- 
missioner seemed  to  claim  the  disbursements  as  his  exclusive  prerogative 
(except  for  the  purchase  and  repair  of  instruments,)  I immediately 
addressed  a letter  to  the  department,  stating  that  the  two  officers  would 
no  longer  feel  authorized  to  act  as  disbursing  officers,  unless  they 
should  receive  instructions  from  the  department  to  that  effect.^  I 
desired  not  to  transcend  the  wishes  of  the  department. 

7.  That  when  I was  consulted  by  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  in  regard  to  the  agreement  between  the  commissioners  for 
running  the  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico  upon  the  parallel  of  lati- 
tude 32°  22',  I gave  it  as  my  opinion  that  such  a line  would  not  be  in 
accordance  with  the  treaty,  and  stated  that  I would  not  put  my  instru- 
ments up  on  that  latitude,  determined  from  observation.  I will  state 


*See  Appendix,  Nos.  67  and  68.  tSee  Appendix,  No.  66 — Doc.  H,  appended  thereto. 
JSee  Appendix,  No.  70.  §See  Appendix,  No.  120. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


55 


here,  in  regard  to  this  matter,  that  I conceived  this  to  be  a purely  pro- 
fessional question  ; and  that  the  commissioner  of  the  United  States  had 
no  power  to  require  me  to  do  what  I conceived  would  be  a violation  of 
the  treaty  and  a wrong  to  my  own  country,  when,  at  the  same  time, 
the  whole  responsibility  of  the  act  would  have  fallen  on  me.  I presume 
the  veiy  object  of  attaching  me  to  the  commission  was  to  guard  the 
just  interests  of  the  United  States  in  points  of  a professional  nature  like 
this,  and  not  that  I should  be  a mere  subservient  agent  of  the  com- 
missioner, in  violation  of  my  own  convictions. 

8.  Notwithstanding  all  the  preparations  I had  to  make  before  setting 
out  for  El  Paso,  which  preparations  were  necessary  before  the  survey- 
ing corps  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  could  be  set  to  work  in  the 
field,  I arrived  there  with  the  advance  of  that  very  escort  and  army- 
wagon  train  which  Mr.  A.  B.  Gray  was  informed  by  the  Department 
of  the  Interior,  under  date  of  October  23,  1850,*  (the  day  I was  ordered 
on  the  duty  by  that  department,)  would  be  the  first  to  leave  San  Anto- 
nio for  EJ  Paso.  Not  only  did  I accomplish  this,  but  I carried  with  me, 
and  delivered  in  perfect  order,  the  valuable  and  complete  equipment  of 
surveying  and  other  instruments,  which  were  the  fruits  of  my  own  un- 
wearied exertions  and  assiduity,  continued  day  and  night,  from  the  mo- 
ment I was  called  on  for  this  duty  up  to  that  of  my  arrival  at  El  Paso.t 
Nearly  all  the  surveying  corps  had  been  waiting  in  idleness  for  eight 
months  before  my  arrival  for  the  want  of  such  an  equipment,  and  would 
have  been  obliged  so  to  wait  many  months  longer,  but  for  the  steps  I 
took,  amidst  many  discouraging  circumstances,  to  prepare  it.  The  let- 
ter of  instructions  to  Commissioner  Bartlett^vith  my  appointment  for 
this  service,  although  mailed  immediately  at  Washington,  could  not, 
and  did  not,  get  beyond  San  Antonio,  Texas,  until  the  opportunity  af- 
forded by  the  escort,  with  the  advance  of  which  I arrived  with  this 
equipment  at  El  Paso.  That  letter  had  lain  at  San  Antonio  from  No- 
vember, 1850,  to  May,  1851,  for  the  reason  that  there  were  no  means 
for  forwarding  it  sooner.  It  was  taken  up  at  that  place  by  a bearer  of 
despatches  from  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  who  left  Washington 
in  March,  1851.  He  went  up  with  Captain  French’s  escort  and  wagon 
train,  until  within  a certain  distance  of  the  Rio  Grande,  when,  joining 
a party  of  gentlemen  who  were  travelling  light,  they  pushed  forward 
in  advance,  by  which  means  those  instructions  reached  Commissioner 
Bartlett,  at  the  Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita,  on  the  same  day  (June 
24,  1851)  that  I reached  El  Paso.f  This  was  the  first  moment  that 
Commissioner  Bartlett  had  ary  official  information  from  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior  that  I was  assigned  to  duty  with  the  boundaiy 
commission.^ 

I trust  it  will  not  be  considered  an  unpardonable  digression,  if  I 
mention  another  fact  here  to  show  that  I had  committed  no  act  of  delay 


‘Si 


* See  Appendix,  No.  14.  f See  Appendix,  No.  176. 

t The  distance  from  El  Paso  to  these  Copper  Mines  is  about  180  miles. 

§ It  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Bartlett  expressed  gratification  that  I was  to  be  assigned  to  this 
duty,  in  his  le'ter  of  December  19,  1850,  written  from  El  Paso.  It  was  a mere  rumor,  how- 
ever, which  bad  reached  the  Mexican  commissioner,  General  Conde,  through  the  newspapers 
he  received  from  the  city  of  Mexico,  taken  from  the  newspapers  of  Washington.  The  gentle- 
men of  the  Mexican  commission  communicated  this  piece  of  news  to  those  of  the  United  States 
commission.  There  was  no  official  information  of  it,  however,  until  my  arrival  at  El  Paso. 


56 


S.  Doc.  121. 


up  to  the  moment  of  my  arrival  at  El  Paso.  It  is  that  Major  Backus, 
of  the  third  regiment  of  infantry,  than  whom  the  whole  army  will  bear 
me  out  in  saying  there  is  not  a more  prompt  or  energetic  officer  in  the 
service,  was  at  Washington  in  November,  1850,  on  his  way  to  El  Paso 
to  assume  the  command  of  the  military  post  at  that  place,  under  the 
orders  of  the  War  Department.  He  proposed  to  me  that  we  should 
travel  together,  which  at  first  we  expected  to  do  from  Washington. 

I  soon  discovered  that  I could  not  depart  before  the  requisite  equip- 
ment for  my  duties  could  be  prepared.  He  could  not  wait,  and  pushed 
on  for  his  post.  On  arriving  at  San  Antonio,  he  did  every  thing  in  his 
power  to  get  forward,  but  could  not.  He  was  compelled  to  remain 
there  until  the  departure  of  Captain  French’s  train  and  escort.  The 
same  thing  detained  Captain  Sitgreaves,  of  the  topographical  engineers, 
and  his  party,  who  were  bound  on  the  survey  of  the  Zunia  river.  I 
was  in  the  mean  time  occupied  with  preparations  which  I have  shown, 
and  will  presently  still  further  show,  were  indispensable  to  set  the  sur- 
veying corps  to  work  on  the  boundary  line.  These  were  completed, 
and  with  them  I arrived  at  El  Paso  in  company  with  those  two  officers. 
Had  I gone  with  them  from  Washington,  it  would  have  been  a long 
time  before  that  journey  would,  or  could,  have  been  of  any  benefit  to 
the  boundary  survey. 

9.  In  regard  to  the  importance  of  my  preparations,  and  of  the 
manner  in  which  my  time  was  spent  before  leaving  for  El  Paso,  I have 
already  shown,  as  far  as  official  returns  and  documents  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  department  could  show,  that  the  equipment  of  instruments 
turned  over  to  Lieut.  Whipple  at  San  Diego,  in  March,  1850,  to  be 
transferred  to  El  Paso,  was  deficient  in  the  surveying  department,  and 
entirely  inadequate  to  the  task  of  running  and  marking  the  line. 

It  only  remains  now  to  show  what  the  supply  of  instruments  actually 
was  when  I joined  the  commission  at  El  Paso,  the  24th  of  June,  1851. 
This  will  be  seen  by  the  accompanying  abstract,  marked  No.  175. 
Here  it  is  shown,  that  at  the  time  of  my  arrival  the  equipment  in  the 
astronomical  and  surveying  departments  was  confined  to  the  follow- 
ing : 

3 astronomical  transits. 

5 chronometers. 

1 pocket  watch  chronometer. 

1 repeating  circle  of  reflexion. 

3 sextants. 

2 astronomical  telescopes,  four  feet  long,  and  mountings. 

1 azimuth,  or  field  surveying  instrument,  (but  it  was  without  its 
tripod  stand,  for  mounting  it  for  use.) 

No  theodolite  or  rail-road  transit  whatever. 

1 surveyor’s  compass,  in  good  order  for  service.  It  was,  however, 
purchased  from  Mr.  Hippel,  at  El  Paso,  in  May,  1851,  the 
month  before  I arrived  there. 

1 surveyor’s  compass,  in  indifferent  condition,  made  by  Gambey. 

1 surveyor’s  compass,  by  R.  Patten;  totally  unfit  for  service;  be- 

sides, it  was  without  a tripod  stand. 

3 prismatic  compasses. 

2 surveyor's  chains,  only* 


S.  Doc.  121. 


57 


19  marking  pins. 

1 reconnoitring  spy-glass. 

As  usual,  and  for  the  reasons  given,  I do  not  notice  the  meteorologi- 
cal and  magnetic  experimental  apparatus. 

It  shows  that  the  equipment  for  the  surveying  department  proper 
was  totally  inadequate  to  the  object  to  be  accomplished ; it  shows  that 
even  if  Commissioner  Bartlett’s  surveying  corps  had  been  judiciously 
organized  and  appointed,  he  could  not  have  given  employment  in  the 
field  to  more  than  the  one-fourth  or  one-fifth  part  of  them,  before  my 
equipment  arrived.  It  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  No.  176  that  the 
equipment  prepared  and  carried  out  by  me  consisted,  besides  the  me- 
teorological apparatus,  of  the  following  instruments,  of  chief  import- 
ance for  running  the  line,  exclusive  of  those  I found  with  the  commis- 
sion when  I joined  it,  viz : 

2 astronomical  transits. 

2 chronometers. 

1 chronometer  watch. 

1 astronomical  telescope. 

1 large  astronomical  altitude  and  azimuth  instrument,  by  Trough- 

ton  & Simms,  of  London. 

6 theodolites,  in  good  order. 

8 surveyor’s  compasses,  in  good  order. 

3 Kater  circles,  two  by  Troughton  & Simms  and  one  by  Dunn, 

suitable  either  for  astronomical  or  surveying  purposes. 

2 parallactic  telescopes,  for  measuring  distances  without  the  use 

of  a chain,  or  for  observing  occultations  of  stars,  eclipses,  &c. 

15  surveyor’s  chains. 

138  iron  marking  pins. 

2 prismatic  compasses. 

10.  In  regard  to  my  detention  at  El  Paso,  or  rather  Frontera,  be- 
fore proceeding  to  the  Copper  Mines,  and  to  my  ordering  Lieutenant 
Whipple  in  to  report  to  me,  it  is  shown  clearly,  I presume,  that  for  me 
to  have  passed  by  Frontera,  which  was  the  repository  of  all  the  plots 
and  note-books  of  the  work  that  had  been  done  belore  my  arrival, 
would  have  deprived  me  of  every  means  of  knowing  anything  of  the 
relative  merits  of  the  young  gentlemen  from  among  whom  selections 
were  to  be  made  in  reorganizing  and  reducing  the  surveying  corps. 
This  was  the  first  step  committed  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior, 
conjointly  to  the  United  States  commissioner  atid  myself.  For  me  to 
have  entered  blindly  upon  it,  would  have  been  an  act  of  injustice  to 
those  of  the  corps  who  possessed  the  requisite  qualifications  and  to  the 
true  interests  of  my  government.  It  would  have  cut  me  off*  from  all 
means  of  meeting  and  acquitting  myself  of  the  responsibilities  imposed 
upon  me  by  the  instructions  of  the  department  itself.  Lieut.  Whipple’s 
aid  in  the  matter  was  indispensably  necessary,  because  he  had  had  the 
direction  of  the  field  duties  of  the  corps  before  my  arrival,  and  knew 
more  than  any  one  else  of  the  relative  qualifications  of  the  different  in- 
dividuals. 

Besides,  it  will  be  remembered  that  I was  informed  by  good 
authority,  when  I arrived  at  El  Paso,  that  the  United  States  commis- 
sioner was  expected  there  at  that  time,  and  was  probably  on  Ins  way 


58 


S.  Doc.  121. 


down.  In  order  to  leave  no  doubt  on  this  point,  on  the  26th  of  June 
I addressed  a letter  (No.  71)  to  him,  and  sent  it  by  express  to  the 
Copper  Mines.  In  it  I expressly  stated  as  follows  : “I  have  sent  in- 
structions to  Lieutenant  Whipple  to  proceed  to  this  place  with  as  little 
delay  as  practicable,  as  I think  his  presence  very  necessaiy  before  we 
proceed  with  the  reorganization.” 

He  received  it  on  the  30th  of  June,  and  instead  of  answering  me  by 
express,  as  he  was  bound  by  a proper  regard  for  the  public  interests 
to  do,  he  adopted  the  slowest  possible  mode  of  conveying  his  answer 
to  me  in  sending  it  by  a wagon  train  that  was  coming  to  Frontera  for 
provisions.  The  answer  is  dated  July  1,  and  it  did  not  reach  me 
until  the  evening  of  July  8,  after  Lieutenant  Whipple  had  arrived,  and 
we  had  entered  on  the  duties  for  which  I ordered  him  down. 

In  this  answer  Mr.  Commissioner  Bartlett  expresses  no  objection 
whatever  to  the  step  which  he  knew  Lieutenant  Whipple  was  about 
to  take.* 

And  yet,  in  his  letter  to  General  Conde,  the  Mexican  commissioner,! 
of  July  11,  which,  together  with  the  one  from  General  Conde, f was 
forwarded  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior  as  a complaint  against 
me,  Mr.  Bartlett  says : “ This  step  on  the  part  of  Lieut.  Whipple 
has  surprised  me  much.  The  first  intimation  I had  of  his  intention 
was  a note  which  I received  from  him  on  the  30th  ult.,  in  which  he 
says  that  he  has  received  orders  from  Col.  Graham  to  report  himself 
in  person  to  him  at  Frontera,  near  El  Paso.  This  is  certainly  a move- 
ment I did  not  anticipate,  and  for  which  I see  no  good  reason.  I was 
advised  by  my  government  that  Colonel  Graham  had  been  appointed 
chief  astronomer,  &c.,  and  would  report  himself  to  me.  In  doing  so,  I 
expected,  as  a matter  of  course,  that  he  would  present  himself  here. 
Had  I been  apprized  of  Lieutenant  Whipple’s  intention,  or  Colonel 
Graham’s  orders,  I would  have  instructed  Lieutenant  Whipple  so^n 
to  arrange  matters  before  obeying  the  orders,  that  there  should  have 
been  no  interruption  in  running  the  line.  I will  make  every  exertion 
in  my  power  to  have  the  work  resumed  forthwith.” 

It  is  impossible  for  me  to  reconcile  this  correspondence  between  the 
commissioners  of  the  two  governments  with  the  fact  that  they  both 
knew  full  well,  previous  to  the  1st  of  July,  of  Lieutenant  Whipple’s 
intention  to  obey  my  order,  and  to  join  me  forthwith  at  Frontera. 

It  soon  afterwards  became  known  to  all  the  Mexican  authorities 
about  El  Paso,  and  to*  General  Conde,  that  I was  making  reconnais- 
sances about  Frontera,  with  a view  to  obtain  information  of  the  neigh- 
boring localities,  and  that  I had  become  acquainted  with  that  of  “ La 
Salinera,”  which  no  member  of  the  American  comtnission  had,  before 
my  arrival.  It  constituted  a piece  of  evidence  which  the  Mexican 
commissioner  probably  did  not  relish,  and  it  was  his  interest  to  get  me 
removed  from  the  commission  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  if  he 
could. 

11.  I had  no  difficulty  in  finding  the  position  of  “La  Salinera,” 
(the  Saline.)  It  corresponds  with  that  which  is  given  to  it  on  the 
treaty  map.  Its  locality  has  always  been  known  to  the  inhabitants  of 


♦See  Appendix,  No.  72.  fSee  Appendix,  No.  181.  J See  Appendix,  No.  180. 


S.  Doc.  121.  59 

the  town  of  Paso.  They  have  been  in  the  habit  for  many  }Tears  of 
resorting  to  it  for  a partial  supply  of  salt. 

I collected  a specimen  of  the  salt  formed  there  and*  gave  it  to 
Professor  T.  F.  Moss,  the  geologist  and  mining  engineer  of  the  Amer- 
ican commission.  He  afterwards  (on  the  same  day  as  myself)  visited 
it  and  collected  a further  specimen. 

The  supply  yielded  here,  although  small,  is  a desideratum  with  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Paso,  where  it  is  a costly  article,  owing  to 
the  expense  of  transportation  from  a long  distance. 

When  I witnessed  this  natural  monument,  considering  that  the  south- 
ern line  of  New  Mexico,  in  relation  to  it,  must  have  been  well  known 
when  the  said  line  was  established,  I asked  Lieutenant  Whipple  how 
it  was  that  the  line  was  being  run  so  far  to  the  north.  He  informed  me 
he  had  advised  against  it,  and  referred  me  to  his  written  opinion,  given 
at  the  time  to  the  United  States  Commissioner,  on  the  subiect.  (See 
No.  186.) 

There  need  have  been  no  difficulty,  in  my  opinion,  in  finding  the  true 
southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico,  as  described  in  the  treaty  and  laid 
down  on  the  map,  nor  in  proving  how  far  from  the  Rio  Grande  that 
boundary  should  run  west.  The  scale  of  the  map  would  have  been  a 
safe  guide  in  this. 

It  was,  however,  made  a matter  of  closet  negotiation,  without  going 
out,  or  sending  the  surveyors  out,  to  examine  the  most  important  and 
obvious  localities  laid  down  on  the  treaty  map,  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  line. 

12.  When  I reached  the  Copper  Mines,  after  having  obtained  the 
necessary  information  at  Frontera,  the  United  States  commissioner  was 
not  ready  to  proceed  with  the  work.  When  the  line  wdiich  was  being 
run  from  the  Rio  Grande  west,  on  the  parallel  of  32°  22',  was  protested 
by  Mr.  Gray,  the  United  States  surveyor,  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  1851, 
Commissioner  Bartlett  withdrew  his  own  party  from  the  line,  and  called 
on  the  Mexican  Commissioner  to  suspend  operations  on  it  also.  The 
Mexican  commissioner  refused  to  do  so,  and  ran  that  line  out  ex  parte* 
The  United  States  commissioner  admitted  that  this  line  was  not  valid 
without  the  concurrence  of  the  United  States  surveyor. 

Although  the  23d  of  August  had  been  agreed  upon  by  the  joint  com- 
mission, at  its  meeting  held  on  the  20th  of  the  preceding  month,  as  the 
day  for  meeting  on  the  Gila,  (at  the  mouth  of  its  tributary,  the  Rio  Pri- 
eto,) much  of  the  intermediate  time,  which  ought  to  have  been  devoted 
to  the  reorganization  of  our  surveying  corps  and  to  other  preparations, 
was  wasted  in  the  discussions  which  unavoidably  ensued  from  the  re- 
fusal of  the  United  States  commissioner  to ‘receive  and  recognise  me  in 
the  capacity  which  he  wras  instructed  to  do  by  the  Department  of  the 
Interior.  Pending  this  delay,  the  Indians  made  several  incursions  upon 
us  and  deprived  us,  stealthily,  of  a large  portion  of  our  mules  and  horses, 
which  embarrassed  us  in  our  means  of  transportation.  The  United 
States  commission  did  not  leave  the  Copper  Mines,  to  proceed  on 
towards  the  commencement  of  the  Gila  survey,  until  the  27th  of  August, 
1851.  The  engagement  of  the  two  commissions  was  to  go  “forth- 
with to  the  Gila  and  trace  it,  from  the  point  where  the  western  boundary 


60 


S.  Doc.  121. 


of  New  Mexico  intersects  it,  to  its  junction  with  the  Colorado.”  (See 
No.  88.) 

The  day  appointed  for  this  meeting  on  the  Gila,  to  commence  work 
there,  was  the  23d  of  August,  and  surely  both  commissions  were  bound, 
under  their  joint  agreement,  to  direct  their  attention  and  their  resources 
to  that  object.  Instead  of  this,  however,  the  Mexican  commission  di- 
rected all  its  attention  and  all  its  resources  to  the  running  out,  ex  parte, 
of  the  protested  line.  It  evaded  the  stipulated  meeting  by  pushing  on 
with  that  ex  parte  work,  keeping  the  United  States  commission  in  pur- 
suit, which  was  constantly  kept  up  until  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  Sep- 
tember, the  day  on  which  this  ex  parte  survey  along  the  protested  line 
was  completed  by  the  Mexican  party. 

Nor  did  the  Mexican  commission,  even  now,  make  any  efforts  to  join 
in  the  Gila  survey  as  had  been  agreed  upon. 

The  provisions  of  that  commission  had  become  nearly  exhausted  at 
the  moment  it  allowed  the  United  States  commission  to  overtake  it. 

All  the  resources  it  obtained  immediately  thereafter  were  devoted, 
not  to  going  on  with  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  but  to  running  out,  exyarte, 
the  protested  north  line  towards  the  first  branch  of  that  river. 

No  protest  was  entered  by  the  United  States  commissioner  against 
this  proceeding.  On  the  contrary,  both  commissioners  having,  by  a 
deviation  from  the  course  agreed  upon  at  the  meeting  of  the  20th  of 
July,  nearly  exhausted  their  present  supply  of  provisions,  they  both 
agree  to  go  in  search  of  Santa  Cruz  to  obtain  more  before  they  can  pos- 
sibly put  themselves  in  position  to  begin  the  work  before  them.  They 
both  get  bewildered  and  lost,  and  nearly  perish  with  hunger  before  they 
can  be  relieved.  Even  on  reaching  Santa  Cruz,  it  was  found  not  to 
afford  the  requisite  supplies. 

When  I took  leave  of  them,  on  the  28th  of  September,  at  Santa 
Cruz,  no  calculation  could  be  made  of  the  probable  time  when  they 
could  be  in  position  to  commence  the  work,  which  it  was  agreed  upon 
should  be  begun  on  the  23d  of  August. 

From  Santa  Cruz  I returned  to  the  Copper  Mines,  and  had  the  quar- 
ters there  dismantled,  and  thp  public  property  transferred  to  Frontera, 
near  El  Paso,  where  I arrived  at  the  time  appointed  by  Mr.  Salazar  y 
Larregui,  to  co-operate  in  the  joint  survey  of  the  eastern  division  of 
the  work,  in  pursuance  of  the  agreement  of  the  joint  commission.  I 
found  him  ill  and  unable  to  take  the  field;  and  no  officer  or  surveyor 
on  the  part  of  Mexiccf  was  there  to  fill  his  place,  or  to  execute  the  work 
under  him. 

In  reply  to  my  note  of  November  12,  (see  No.  143,)  proposing  to 
call  upon  him  to  arrange  plans  for  going  on  immediately  with  this  work, 
he  informed  me  that  the  Mexican  commissioner  had  instructed  him, 
under  date  of  September  30 — two  days  after  my  last  conference  with 
him,  at  Santa  Cruz — not  to  go  on  with  it  until  he,  the  Mexican  com- 
missioner, should  return  to  El  Paso,  (see  No.  144;)  a thing  which  he 
had  no  expectation  of  doing  until  the  month  of  January  following. 

Under  every  probable  contingency  there  was  reason  to  apprehend 
the  period  would  be  much  later;  for  the  survey  of  the  Gila  was  to  be 
accomplished  before  his  return  journey  to  El  Paso  would  begin ; and 


I 


S.  Doc.  121.  • 61 

he  would  then  have  before  him  a march,  by  the  route  he  proposed  to 
take,  of  between  eight  hundred  and  a thousand  miles. 

The  arrangement  made  with  Mr.  Salazar,  herewith  submitted,  marked 
No.  156,  showing  the  plan  of  operations  by  which  the  work  should  go 
on,  prevented  the  long  detention  which  must  otherwise  have  ensued, 
from  the  instructions  of  General  Conde. 

The  circumstances  connected  with  my  recall  from  this  work  are  now 
fully  laid  before  you;  as  also  the  labor  which  devolved  upon  me, 
in  my  endeavors,  by  the  new  system  adopted,  to  extricate  the  scientific 
department  of  the  commission,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  from 
the  state  of  disorganization  into  which  it  had  fallen,  before  I was  con- 
nected with  it. 

I will  now  respectfully  ask  your  attention  to  some  of  the  fruits  of  this 
new  system,  reaped  whilst  everything  was  still  progressing  under  my 
instructions;  and  you  will  be  enabled  yourself  to  compare  it  with  what 
was  done  in  eight  or  nine  months  before  the  system  I adopted  went 
into  operation. 

I refer  you  to  the  accompanying  report  from  Lieutenant  Whipple, 
marked  No.  171,  of  his  survey  of  the  river  Gila,  executed  under  my 
instructions,  in  accordance  with  the  New  System.  It  embraces  about 
five  hundred  miles  of  the  boundary,  surveyed  conjointly  with  an  officer 
of  the  Mexican  engineer  corps,  (Captain  Jimenes,)  in  a manner  that 
will  no  doubt  prove  satisfactory  to  both  governments,  between  the  27th 
of  August  and  the  14th  of  December,  1851. 

Within  the  same  period  a survey  of  reconnaissance  was  made,  with 
small  portable  instruments,  suitable  for  such  purposes,  of  about  two 
hundred  and  twenty  miles,  between  the  Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 
in  New  Mexico,  and  Santa  Cruz,  in  Sonora.  Numerous  astronomical 
observations  for  latitude  and  longitude  were  made  on  this  expedition 
by  Lieutenant  Whipple,  which,  when  t educed,  will  correct  the  run  of 
the  work,  and  give  us  the  only  authentic  knowledge  of  that  portion  of 
country  that  has  ever  been  obtained.  Its  topography,  embracing  its 
plains,  its  few  water-courses,  and  its  mountain  ranges,  has  been  cor- 
rectly laid  down  in  the  notes  of  the  surveyors,  and  only  require  to  be 
plotted  in  order  to  their  exhibition  on  a map.  It  gives  me  great  pleas- 
ure to  award,  as  I do,  to  Lieutenant  Whipple  and  his  assistants,  all  the 
professional  credit  which  may  appertain  to  these  surveys.  I feel  well 
assured  they  are  well  and  faithfully  done.  The  last  mentioned,  that  is 
to  say,  between  the  Copper  Mines  and  Santa  Cruz,  was  made  under 
my  personal  supervision;  and  I am  thus  enabled  to  say  that,  as  we 
progressed  southward  over  those  plains,  after  crossing  the  protested  line,  * 
the  facilities  offered  by  the  natural  features  of  the  country  for  a great 
national  railway,  or  even  for  a common  road,  greatly  increased. 

The  mountain  ranges  present  lofty  peaks,  and  deep  indentations  or 
passes.  These  last  afford  ready  facilities  for  passing,  in  almost  any 
general  direction,  with  but  little  deflection. 

From  Lieutenant  Whipple’s  report,  it  is  to  be  inferred  that  there  are 
short  spaces  to  be  found,  along  the  valley  of  the*  Gila,  of  a rougher 
character ; but  the  rock  of  this  country  is  generally  of  a friable  char- 
acter, and  easy  to  be  removed. 

• 


62 


S.  Doc.  121. 


The  average  difficulty,  from  physical  causes,  of  constructing  a rail- 
road across  the  American  continent,  from  Indianola  on  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico, by  way  of  San  Antonio  and  El  Paso,  to  the  Pacific  coast,  is,  un- 
doubtedly, far  less  than  that  met  with  upon  most  of  the  railroads 
already  constructed  in  the  United  States.  In  crossing  the  great  Sierra 
Madre  no  difficulties  are  presented.  It  is  done  by  a rise  so  gradual 
that,  were  we  not  admonished  by  the  fall  of  the  mercury  in  the  ba- 
rometer, we  would  be  unconscious  of  its  elevation  of  five  to  six  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  climate  along  the  whole  belt 
of  country  traversed  is  here  particularly  favorable  to  such  a work.  It 
is  open  all  the  year  round.  There  are  no  frosts  to  up-heave  the  foun- 
dations of  such  a road  and  disadjust  it  annually.  There  are  no  deep 
snows  remaining  for  months  upon  the  ground  to  obstruct  a passage. 

I present  to  you,  herewith,  a table,  marked  No.  177,  and  a barometric 
profile,  marked  No.  191,  deduced  from  my  own  observations  and 
those  of  my  assistants,  Mr.  John  Lawson  and  Lieutenant  W.  F.  Smith, 
topographical  engineers,  of  the  route  we  travelled  from  Indianola,  via 
San  Antonio,  Castroville,  Fort  Inge,  Howard’s  Spring,  Ojo  Escondido, 
Eagle  Spring,  El  Paso  del  Norte,  and  Dona  Ana,  to  the  Copper  Mines 
of  Santa  Rita,  in  New  Mexico.  It  shows  the  Copper  Mines  (Colonel 
Craig’s  quarters  at  Cantonment  Dawson)  to  be  six  thousand  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  This,  however,  is  an 
elevation  in  the  mountains  several  hundred  feet  higher  than  may  be 
encountered  in  passing  the  Sierra  Madre,  at  favorable  points  that  are  to 
be  found.  It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  elevations  are  laid  down 
on  a distorted  scale  in  comparison  with  the  scale  of  the  horizontal  dis- 
tances. The  general  character  of  the  country,  as  exhibited  by  this 
profile,  is  fully  seen ; and  it  is  evident  that  it  may  be  traversed  by  loco- 
motive engines  on  a railroad,  from  ocean  to  ocean,  at  the  desired  speed 
for  travellers.  There  are  elevations  in  this  general  profile  which  will 
be  much  reduced  by  the  careful  examinations  that  would  precede  the 
choice  of  the  exact  route. 

I trust  you  will  pardon  this  digression.  Should  it  add  an  iota  to  the 
stock  of  information  which  is  now  being  developed  on  this  interesting 
subject,  I shall  have  been  fully  rewarded  for  all  the  pains  and  trouble 
of  transporting  the  delicate  instruments  over  a thousand  miles  of  this 
great  plain,  to  obtain  its  profile. 

In  addition  to  the  surveys  above  alluded  to,  under  the  new  system  of 
conducting  this  boundary  survey,  I may  mention  about  one  hundred 
miles  of  work  done  on  the  Rio  Grande,  before  my  recall  reached  me. 
•In  a little  more  than  four  months’  work,  after  the  new  system  went 
into  operation,  between  six  and  seven  hundred  miles  of  the  boundary 
was  surveyed,  under  my  direction  and  instructions,  notwithstanding 
the  many  embarrassments  that  were  thrown  in  my  way  by  the  refusal 
of  the  United  States  commissioner  to  invest  me  with  all  the  means  the 
government  had  directed,  to  aid  in  pushing  the  work  forward.  Previ- 
ous to  my  joining  the  commission  in  the  field,  it  had  been  there,  in  po- 
sition for  work,  for  nine  months,  at  a great  cost  to  the  government. 
The  fruits  of  its  labors  were  about  one  hundred  miles  of  survey  on 
the  Rio  Grande,  that  had  to  be  rejected  entirely,  because  it  was  so  im- 
perfectly done  that  it  could  not  be  plotted,  and  seventy-five  miles  on 


S.  Doc.  121.  63 

the  parallel  of  32°  22',  which  was  suspended  under  the  protest  of  the 
American  surveyor. 

Under  the  New  System  the  objects  of  investigation  of  a collateral 
character — that  is,  those  not  necessarily  connected  with  the  running 
of  the  line — were  not  by  any  means  neglected.  The  collections  in 
zoology,  made  between  April  1 and  the  middle  of  November,  1851, 
the  greater  part  of  which  1 brought  home  with  me  under  the  recall, 
are  now  to  be  seen  in  the  cabinet  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  in  this 
city.  I would  ask  attention  to  the  state  of  preservation  in  which  they 
now  appear,  after  a journey  averaging  more  than  twelve  hundred  miles 
over-land,  added  to  the  distance  of  sea  transportation  from  Indianola, 
Texas,  to  New  York.  I wrill  also  ask  attention  to  the  fact  that  this 
collection  renders  to  the  science  of  zoology  upwards  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  new  species,  and  a number  of  new  genera  of  animated  na- 
ture unknown  to  science  before.  (See  Nos.  188  and  189,  Appendix.) 
I render  the  credit  of  this  collection  to  my  enterprising  assistant,  Mr. 
John  H.  Clark,  and  the  credit  of  the  scientific  descriptions  to  the  dis- 
tinguished professors  in  the  science,  Baird  and  Girard,  of  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution,  who  are  now  engaged  upon  them. 

In  the  science  of  botany  the  success  under  the  New  S3rstem  will,  I 
trust,  be  considered  satisfactory.  According  to  the  estimate  of  Pro- 
fessor Asa  Gray,  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  this  collection  will 
probably,  when  fully  examined,  present  to  that  branch  of  natural  sci- 
ence about  three  hundred  and  upwards  of  new  species  and  a number  of 
new  genera  of  plants  not  before  known  or  described.  (See  No.  190.) 
With  this  collection,  brought  home  under  the  order  of  recall,  were  about 
three  hundred  and  fifty  packages  of  seeds  of  different  plants  collected 
on  the  plains  and  in  the  valleys  and  mountains  of  T exas,  New  Mexico, 
and  Sonora.  A portion  of  these  seeds  (including  some  from  almost 
every  package)  was  sown  in  the  public  garden  near  the  west  base  of 
Capitol  hill,  in  this  city,  where  the  proceeds  from  them  may  at  any 
time  be  seen.  The  credit  of  this  collection  I render  to  my  industrious 
assistant,  Mr.  Charles  Wright,  who  made  it,  and  the  credit  of  the  sci- 
entific descriptions  to  Professor  Asa  Gray,  of  Cambridge,  Massa- 
chusetts, who  is  nowr  employed  upon  the  specimens. 

When  the  examinations  of  these  collections  shall  have  been  com- 
pleted, they  will  be  rendered  with  the  more  full  report  I propose  to 
make  upon  the  scientific  operatioris  of  the  work,  whilst  it  was  under 
my  direction.  I am  not  aware  that  a single  specimen  in  zoology  or 
botany  was  ever  sent  in  by  that  portion  of  the  commission  which  pre- 
ceded me  to  El  Paso.  Nearly  all  the  appliances  for  preserving  the  col- 
lections in  botany,  and  the  stationery  provided  for  the  secretary’s  rec- 
ords, were  left  at  Indianola,  and  will  be  found  noticed,  wfith  the  spoiled 
bread,  in  the  report  of  the  board  of  survey,  made  under  my  order, 
marked  C,  appended  to  document  No.  60.  In  lieu  of  these  the  wagons 
were  loaded  with  whiskey,  that  ought  never  to  have  been  allowed 
among  the  public  stores  at  all. 

I do  not  mention  these  things  because  I presurfie  to  claim  aught  of 
* credit  for  anything  that  was  accomplished  by  myself,  but  rather  that  I 
hope  the  fruits^)  f the  New  System  may  be  found  to  vindicate,  in  some 
degree,  the  importance  of  preparation  before  setting  out  on  an  expe- 


64 


S.  Doc.  121. 


dition  of  such  magnitude  as  this,  to  a distant  region  difficult  of  access, 
and  devoid  of  all  resources  save  those  which  are  taken  along. 

In  reviewing  this  whole  subject,  I am  entirely  at  a loss  to  know  upon 
what  ground  it  is  that  the  Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of  the  Inte- 
rior, has  accused  me  of  delay  in  the  performance  of  my  duties. 

In  the  letter  df  the  honorable  Secretary  to  the  honorable  the  Secretary 
of  War,  dated  September  11,  1851,  (see  Appendix  No.  179,)  he  says: 
“Before  Colonel  Graham  left  here,  I was  much  annoyed  and  became 
dissatisfied  with  his  long,  unnecessary  delay  in  joining  the  commission 
in  the  field;  and  since  then,  accounts  of  other  delays  and  interruptions 
have  reached  me,  officially  and  otherwise,  which  I felt  called  upon  to 
communicate  to  the  President,”  &c. 

In  answer  to  this  charge,  I can  only  reply  that  there  were  no  delays 
of  any  kind  whatever,  on  my  part,  that  were  not  necessary  and  justifi- 
able under  my  instructions  and  responsibilities.  On  the  contrary,  as,  I 
presume,  will  be  seen  from  all  the  facts  contained  and  set  forth  in  the 
documents  hereto  appended,  every  alacrity  was  shown  in  making 
preparations  which  were  necessary  to  rescue  the  work,  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States,  from  the  dilemma  of  a long  delay  in  which  I found 
it — arising  from  the  omissions  and  mistakes  of  others,  before  I was  at- 
tached to  the  commission — and  in  which  it  must  have  long  continued, 
had  I not  furnished  the  means  for  relieving  it  on  my  joining  the  com- 
mission in  the  field.  All  the  work  that  was  done  in  running  the  line, 
up  to  the  time  of  my  recall,  that  could  be  made  available  on  account 
of  the  necessary  accuracy,  was  the  result  of  the  New  System,  and  of 
the  preparations  made  by  me,  except  alone  the  75*  miles  along  the  pa- 
rallel of  32°  22',  which  were  suspended  under  the  protest  of  the  United 
States  surve}ror. 

Independent  of  the  improvements  in  the  scientific  department  of  the 
work,  the  commissariat  and  quartermaster’s  departments  were  equally 
reformed  and  reduced  to  system,  under  the  fiscal  rules  laid  down  by 
the  order  of  May  12,  1851,  contained  in  the  paper  marked  H,  appended 
to  the  accompanying  document  No.  66. 

I have  been  an  officer  of  the  army  for  35  years.  For  33  years  of 
that  time  I have  served  actively  and  faithfully  in  my  corps.  I have 
never  in  my  life  been  guilty  of  a moment’s  delay  in  the  performance  of 
my  duties,  as  is  well  known  to  that  corps  and  to  the  army.  With  a single 
exception,  there  is  not  an  officer  of  that  corps  who  has  been  employed 
on  any  of  our  boundary  surveys  who  is  not  my  pupil.  They  have  all 
been  taught  promptness  under  my  instruction  and  by  my  example ; but 
they  have  likewise  been  taught  that  proper  preparation  and  system  were 
necessary,  in  order  to  render  their  labors  practically  useful. 

I appeal,  in  my  justification,  to  the  facts  set  forth  in  the  foregoing 
statement,  and  in  the  documents  submitted  with  it. 

I desire,  before  closing  this  communication,  to  make  my  acknowl- 
edgments for  the  enterprising  and  valuable  services  rendered  to  the 
commission  by  Lieutenants  Whipple  and  W.  F.  Smith,  of  the  corps  of 


* It  has  been  supposed  there  were  175  miles  of  this  line  run  out  by  Mr.  Bartlett’s  party,  but 
this  is  a mistake.  There  were  only  75  miles  run  out  on  that  line  before  the  protest  which  was 
made  against  it  in  July,  1851.  • 


S.  Doc.  121. 


65 


topographical  engineers,  and  Lieutenants  Tillinghast  and  Burnside,  of 
the  artillery,  whilst  they  were  under  my  command. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 


Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel , Topographical  Engineers . 

Col.  J.  J.  Abert, 

Chief  of  Topographical  Engineers , Washington . 


5 


66 


S.  Doc.  121. 


APPENDIX. 


No.  1. 


Revere  Hotel,  Boston,  August  10,  1850. 

Dear  Sir  : Your  magnetic  instruments  were  opened  and  examined 
at  Cambridge,  and,  according  to  Mr.  Bond’s  suggestion,  I concluded 
to  take  but  one,  leaving  the  other  at  his  observatory,  subject  to  your 
order.  The  two  are  similar  in  construction,  and,  with  the  fox  dip  and 
intensity  circle,  one  only  seems  necessary.  Mr.  Bond  recommended 
that  I should  take  all  the  suspension  tubes,  fearing  lest  some  might  be 
broken ; hence  the  instrument  I leave  is  defective  in  that  respect.  At 
a small  expense  it  could  be  prepared  for  service.  I leave,  also,  both 
portable  tripods.  I hope  my  next  report  of  this  instrument  will  be 
more  interesting. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  W.  WHIPPLE. 


Joseph  Henry,  LL.  D., 

Secretary  of  Smithsonian  Institution . 


No.  2. 


Baltimore,  Thursday  evening , August , 1850. 
Dear  Sir:  I forgot  to  leave  the  memorandum  for  the  order  to  Lieu- 
tenant Whipple.  Let  it  be  as  follows: 


“ To  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple  : You  are  authorized  to  receive 
any  instruments  belonging  to  the  United  States  which  were  used  or 
intended  to  be  used  in  the  Mexican  boundary  survey,  and  which  are 
now  in  Boston  and  New  York,  and  transmit  to  this  department  your 
receipt  for  the  same.  These  instruments,  it  is  understood,  are  to  be 
used  in  the  same  service. 

“ Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple, 

u Irving  House , New  York.” 


I would  also  like  to  have  the  chronometer  which  Mr.  Ewing  told 
me  was  at  our  service.  This  may  be  sent  by  express  to  Lieutenant 
Whipple. 

By  sending  the  above  order  to-morrow  you  will  greatly  oblige,  yours, 
truly, 


D.  C.  Goddard,  Esq. 


JOHN  R.  BARTLETT. 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  3. 


67 


New  York,  August  13,  1850. 

Sir:  I hastily  enclose  receipts  for  the  instruments  taken  from  the 
possession  of  Messrs.  Bond  & Son,  Boston,  and  of  Messrs.  Blunt,  New 
York,  where  these  instruments  were  placed  by  Major  Emory. 

As  soon  as  possible  I will  transmit  to  the  department  full  receipts 
in  proper  form. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  with  high  respect,  very  truly,  your  obe- 
dient servant, 

A.  W.  WHIPPLE, 

Lieutenant  United  States  Topographical  Engineers. 

D.  C.  Goddard,  Esq., 

Acting  Secretary  of  the  Interior , Washington , D.  C . 


The  receipts  are  as  follow,  viz: 

Boston,  August  10,  1850. 

Received  of  Messrs.  Bond  & Son,  as  per  order  of  D.  C.  Goddard, 
esq.,  acting  Secretary  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  the  following 
instruments  belonging  to  the  United  States,  to  be  used  in  the  Mexican 
boundary  survey,  viz : 

1 box  containing  transit  telescope,  by  Trough  ton  & Simms,  London. 

1 box  containing  stand  for  above  instrument. 

1 box  containing  Ertel  transit. 

1 box  containing  six  barometers : one  by  Green,  No.  2 ; two  by  For 
ten,  Nos.  II  and  19;  three  by  Bunten,  Nos.  462,  463,  and  464. 

A.  W.  WHIPPLE, 

Lieut . U.  S.  Top.  Eng.,  Assist.  Astron.,  fyc.,  U.  S.  B.  C. 


New  York,  August  13,  1850. 

Received  of  Messrs.  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt,  as  per  order  of  acting  Sec- 
retary of  the  Interior,  the  following  named  instruments,  belonging  to 
the  United  States,  to  be  used  on  the  United  States  and  Mexican 
boundary  survey,  viz : 

1 box  containing  1 azimuth  instrument,  by  Draper — azimuth  circle 
9J  inches  diameter. 

1 box  containing  3 barometers. 

1 — do do. 

1 box  containing  1 small  horizontal  magnetic  apparatus,  after  the 
plan  of  Hansteen. 

1 standard  rod  of  wood  for  adjusting  surveving  chains. 

A/W.  WHIPPLE, 

Lt.  U.  S.  Top.  Eng.,  Assistant  Astronomer,  fyc.,  U.  S.  B.  C. 


68 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  4. 

Mexican  Boundary  Commission, 

Indianola,  September  2,  1850. 

Sir  : As,  upon  consultation  with  yourself  and  other  officers  of  the 
commission,  it  has  been  determined  to  survey  the  route  over  which  we 
pass  from  this  place  to  El  Paso,  will  you  please  to  cause  a party  to 
be  organized  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  that  object. 

I am,  very  truly,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT,  Commissioner , 

Bvt.  Lt.  Col.  McClellan, 

U.  S.  Top.  Eng.,  Chief  Astronomer , Sfc. 

No.  5. 

Camp  Ewing,  Indianola,  (Texas,) 

September  3,  1S50. 

Sir  : You  are  hereby  detailed  to  organize  parties  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a rapid  survey  from  Indianola,  Texas,  to  El  Paso.  You  will 
give  general  instructions  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  operations  shall 
be  conducted,  and,  as  far  as  your  other  duties  will  permit,  you  will 
give  your  personal  attention  to  this  survey. 

Orders  have  been  issued  for  a sufficient  number  of  assistants,  engi- 
neers, laborers,  &c.,  to  report  to  you  for  this  duty. 

I am,  very  respectfullv,  your  obedient  servant, 

j.  McClellan, 

Bvt.  Lt.  Col.,  Capt.  Top.  Engineers. 

Lieut.  Whipple, 

Assistant  Astronomer,  fyc.,  U.  S.  B.  C. 


Nc.  6. 

Camp  Ewing,  Indianola,  (Texas,) 

September  4,  J 850, 

Sir  : You  having  been  appointed  geologist  and  mining  engineer  of 
the  United  States  boundary  commission  in  the  survey  from  this  place 
to  El  Paso,  you  will  please  make  those  examinations  which  properly 
belong  to  the  branches  of  service  which  are  intrusted  to  you.  It  is 
desirable,  also,  that  you  pay  such  attention  to  objects  of  natural  history 
as  may  be  in  your  power.  Mr.  S.  P.  Sanford  is  detailed  as  your  as- 
sistant. All  the  various  parties  in  the  field  are  desired  to  aid  }Tou  with 
the  means  at  their  disposal. 

Upon  our  arrival  at  El  Paso,  you  will  please  make  a detailed  report 
of  your  explorations,  giving  due  credit  to  each  person  who  may  have 
afforded  you  valuable  information  or  assistance. 

Very  respectfully,  ycur  obedient  servant, 

A.  W.  WHIPPLE, 

Lt.  Top.  Eng.,  Assistant  Astronomer  U.  S.  B.  C. 

Theodore  F.  Moss,  Esq., 

Geologist  and  Mining  Engineer,  U.  S.  B.  C. 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  7. 


69 


Extract  from  a report  to  the  “ Hon.  J.  R.  Bartlett , United  States  Commis- 
sioner ,”  dated  at  Dona  Ana,  New  Mexico , April  25,  1851. 

[N.  B. — This  was  added  as  a postscript  by  mutual  consent,  and 
forwarded  to  him  in  my  communication  of  May  4,  1851.] 

“ Two,  only,  of  the  reports  required  by  the  original  instructions  have 
been  rendered : one  the  meteorological,  the  other  from  Theodore  F. 
Moss,  esq.,  geologist  and  mining  engineer  of  the  commission,  giving  a 
sketch  of  the  geological  features  presented  upon  the  upper  route  from 
San  Antonio,  which  he  traversed  with  yourself.  Mr.  Moss  has  since 
been  actively  employed  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte,  at 
the  Copper  Mines,  and  upon  the  Rio  Gila,  in  collecting  specimens 
and  acquiring  information  which  should  reflect  credit  upon  the  labors 
<of  the  commission. 

“A.  W.  WHIPPLE, 

“Lieut.  Top . Eng.,  Assistant  Astronomer , U.  S.  B.  C.” 


No.  8. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

October  [8,]  1850. 

Sir:  I have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  }mur  letter  dated  July 
25,  1850,  enclosing  a copy  of  a letter  addressed  by  you  to  Major 
Emory,  in  date  July  13th — a copy  of  Major  Emory’s  answer  to  the 
same — and  a copy  of  a letter  addressed  by  you  to  Major  Emory,  in 
date  July  15,  1850. 

The  causes  which  have  prevented  the  department  from  forwarding 
money  to  Major  Emory  for  defraying  the  expenses  of  that  portion  of 
the  boundary  commission  stationed  upon  the  Pacific  terminus  of  the 
line,  you  are  doubtlessly  already  acquainted  with  ; but,  now  that  an  ap- 
propriation for  a continuation  of  the  survey  has  been  granted  by  Con- 
gress, this  department  will  immediately  take  measures  to  place  at  the 
disposal  of  Major  Emory  a sum  sufficient  to  liquidate  the  debt  already 
contracted,  and  to  effect  the  transfer  of  those  yet  remaining  at  San 
Diego  to  El  Paso — the  new  point  of  departure  as  established  by  the 
joint  commission. 

I have  heard  with  regret  that  you  should  feel  dissatisfied  with  the 
exercise  of  authority  by  Major  Emory  while  in  performance  of  the 
duties  which  devolved  upon  him  in  the  absence  of  the  commissioner — 
a contingency  which  was  not  anticipated  or  provided  for  in  the  treaty, 
in  the  fulfilment  of  which  the  office  of  surveyor  was  created. 

The  office  of  surveyor  and  that  of  chief  astronomer  are,  by  their 
nature,  distinct ; and,  while  the  common  superior,  the  commissioner, 
is  present,  it  is  almost  impossible  that  they  should  conflict. 

As  the  department  understands  it,  the  duty  of  chief  astronomer  is  to 
determine  the  initial  and  intermediate  astronomical  points ; while  that 


70 


S.  Doc.  121. 


of  the  surveyor  is  to  run  the  boundary  line  between  such  points  ; each 
acting  under  the  direction  of  the  commissioner,  their  common  superior. 

As  you  suggest,  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo 
requires  the  appointment  of  a surveyor , to  mark  and  define  the  bound- 
ary line,  and  the  presence  of  such  surveyor  is  necessary  to  the  due 
fulfilment  of  its  stipulations. 

A commissioner  is  also  required  by  the  same  treaty ; which  fact 
would  cause  a necessity  that  the  duties  should  be  fulfilled  when  left 
temporarily  vacant  by  the  recall  of  the  Hon.  Mr.  Weller. 

Your  position  being  clearly  defined  by  treaty  and  by  the  Executive 
to  be  that  of  surveyor,  the  circumstances  of  the  case  pointed  clearly  to 
the  temporary  assignment  of  the  duties  which  would  pertain  to  the 
commissioner,  when  present,  to  the  officer  next  to  him  in  rank  and 
authority,  whose  duties  were  not  specified  by  treaty  or  by  law  ; and 
although  the  department,  under  all  circumstances  of  the  case,  did  not 
deem  it  advisable  or  necessary  to  concede  to  Major  Emory  an  acting 
appointment  as  commissioner,  yet  his  performance  of  the  duties  yet 
uncompleted  at  the  adjournment  of  the  joint  commission  would  have 
given  the  joint  labors  of  the  scientific  officers  of  the  two  republics  the 
authenticity  required  to  fulfil  the  conditions  of  the  treaty. 

The  office  of  commissioner  and  surveyor  devolving  upon  one  and 
the  same  person  is  incompatible  with  the  stipulations  of  the  treaty, 
while  the  performance  of  each  duty  was  required.  The  department, 
therefore,  considered  it  desirable  that  the  temporaiy  duty  of  commis- 
sioner should  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  Major  W.  H.  Emory,  whose 
military  knowledge,  high  standing  in  the  army  as  a scientific  officer, 
previous  acquaintance  with  the  country  to  be  traversed,  pointed  to  him 
as  the  most  appropriate  person,  especially  when  by  so  doing  it  was 
not  necessary  to  withdraw  him  from  duties  to  which  he  had  been 
assigned  by  law. 

I am  assured  that  you  will  recognise  the  necessity  for  a single  head 
in  an  expedition  such  as  that  upon  which  you  are  employed ; and  that 
in  the  temporary  assignment  of  the  duties  of  commissioner,  and  their 
performance,  neither  this  department  nor  Major  Emory  were  actuated 
by  any  desire  to  depreciate  the  very  responsible  position  which  you 
hold. 

I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary . 

A.  B.  Gray,  Esq., 

Surveyor  U.  S,  Boundary  Commission . 


No.  9. 

Bureau  of  Topographical  Engineers, 

Washington,  October  21,  1S50. 

Sir  : Enclosed  is  a copy  of  a letter  from  the  Department  of  the  In- 
terior of  17th  October,  1850,  in  reference  to  your  duties  on  the  Mexi- 
can boundary.  You  are  hereby  detailed  on  that  duty,  in  place  of 


S.  Doc.  121. 


71 


Lieutenant  Colonel  McClellan.  You  will  please  call  at  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior  for  such  instructions  as  it  may  desire  to  give. 
Respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  J.  ABERT, 

Col.  Corps  Topographical  Engineers 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers , Washington . 


No.  10 — (Enclosed  in  No.  9.) 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington , October  17,  1850. 

Sir  : Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham  having  been  indicated  by 
the  General-in-chief  and  the  Acting  Secretary  of  War  as  a suitable 
officer  to  relieve  Brevet  Lieutenat  Colonel  McClellan  from  service  on 
the  Mexican  boundary  commission,  and  it  being  desirable  that  he 
should  at  once  proceed  to  join  the  commission,  I have  the  honor  to  re- 
quest that  the  necessary  orders  to  that  effect  may  be  given  to  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  Graham. 

I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  A.  GRAHAM,  Acting  Secretary . 

Col.  J.  J.  Abert, 

Corps  Topographical  Engineers. 


No.  11. 

Washington,  October  21,  1850. 

Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  to 
me  of  this  date,  detailing  me  for  duty  on  the  Mexican  boundary  in  the 
place  of  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  McClellan,  and  to  state  that  I shall 
to-morrow  rejlbrt  myself  to  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior,  for  his  instructions,  as  directed  by  you. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Major  Top . Engineers , Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel. 

Colonel  J.  J.  Abert, 

Chief  Topographical  Engineers. 


No.  12. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington , October  23,  1850. 

Sir:  You  will  immediately  enter  upon  the  discharge  of  the  duties 

assigned  to  you  by  this  department,  which  are  described  in  the  in- 
structions of  this  date,  addressed  to  John  R.  Bartlett,  esq.,  United  States 
commissioner  for  the  demarcation  of  the  boundary  under  the  treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo. 


72 


S.  Doc.  121. 


You  will  look  into  the  state  of  the  astronomical  and  surveying  appa- 
ratus, as  far  as  the  files  of  this  office  will  afford  information  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  you  will  submit  to  the  department  your  views  in  regard  to 
any  further  supplies  that  may  be  necessary  in  that  department  of  the 
equipment. 

When  this  shall  have  been  completed,  you  will  join  the  commission 
in  the  field. 

I herewith  transmit  to  you  a copy  of  the  instructions  to  Mr.  Bartlett, 
herein  referred  to,  on  the  subject  of  your  assignment  for  duty  on  the 
boundary  service,  by  which  he  and  you  will  be  governed. 

I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary, 

Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

United  States  Topographical  Engineers , 

Attached  to  U,  S.  fy  M.  B,  C . 


No.  13. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington , October  23,  1850. 

Sir:  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  James  D.  Graham,  of  the  corps  of 

topographical  engineers,  having  been  detailed,  by  order  of  the  President, 
as  principal  astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States,  to  assist  you  in  running,  tracing,  and  marking  the 
line  of  boundary  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  under  the  5th 
article  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  he  will  be  received  and  re- 
cognised in  that  capacity.  He  will  meet  with  the  joint  commission  of 
the  two  governments,  and  will  aid  you  in  digesting  and  arranging  (in 
concurrence  with  the  Mexican  commissioner  and  his  associates)  the 
plan  of  operations  in  the  field,  (taking  care  to  observe  tl*?  terms  of  the 
treaty,)  and  in  organizing  parties  and  giving  the  necessary  directions  to 
subordinates. 

It  appears  to  this  department  that  a reorganization  of  the  scientific 
corps,  on  our  side,  is  desirable ; and  it  is  recommended  to  you  that  this 
should  take  place  as  soon  as  practicable,  in  accordance  with  such  joint 
understanding  between  Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham  and  yourself  as 
will  tend  to  promote,  in  the  best  manner,  the  progress  of  the  important 
work  before  you,  and  to  bring  it  to  as  early  a completion  as  possible. 
With  this  view,  and  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a system  of  respon- 
sibility and  discipline  throughout,  it  is  recommended  that  the  scientific 
corps  on  our  side  be  placed  under  the  immediate  direction  of  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  Graham,  to  receive  from  him  such  written  and  verbal  in- 
structions as  he  may  deem  necessary  to  a full  understanding  of  the  du- 
ties to  be  performed  on  all  parts  of  the  work ; and  that  all  reports  from 
the  heads  of  parties  be  made  to  him,  from  time  to  time,  as  he  may  di- 
rect ; and  he  will  be  required  to  report  to  you,  as  often  as  you  may 
desire,  all  operations  and  their  progress ; and  he  will  be  held  responsible 
to  you  for  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  scientific  departments  of  the 


S.  Doc.  121. 


73 


work.  Should  doubts  arise  between  yourself  and  the  Mexican  com- 
missioner, as  to  the  proper  location  of  any  part  or  parts  of  the  boundary 
described  in  the  treaty,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham  will  be  required  to 
cause  to  be  surveyed  any  route,  line  or  lines,  that  you  may  deem  ne- 
cessary to  elucidate  and  satisfy  your  mind  in  relation  to  any  such  ques- 
tions, and  to  make  report  to  you  thereon,  accompanied  by  such  plans  or 
drawings  as  you  may  deem  necessary.  For  the  accuracy  and  faithful 
execution  of  these  duties,  he  will  be  held  responsible  to  you  as  the  com- 
missioner of  the  United  States. 

The  head  of  the  scientific  corps  will  be  allowed  a clerk,  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  himself,  who  will  receive  $1,000  (one  thousand  dollars)  per 
annum,  and  such  subsistence  and  transportation  or  mileage  as  may  be 
allowed  to  lieutenants  attached  to  the  commission. 

The  act  of  Congress  of  May  15,  1850,  provides  that  if  the  duty  of 
astronomer  be  performed  by  an  officer  of  the  army,  his  pay  shall  be 
increased  to  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars  per  annum. 

Congress  no  doubt  thought  proper  to  allow  this  additional  compen- 
sation in  consideration  of  the  laborious  and  responsible  duties  devolving 
upon  that  officer. 

On  reference  to  the  law,  it  is  found  that  the  pay  of  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Graham  (he  being  paid  according  to  his  rank  as  major  of  topo- 
graphical engineers)  is  sixt}r  dollars  per  month,  or  seven  hundred  and 
twenty  dollars  per  annum.  He  will,  therefore,  be  entitled  to  receive 
from  the  appropriation  for  the  running  and  marking  this  boundary  line 
the  sum  of  two  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty  dollars  per  annum, 
and  in  that  proportion  from  the  time  he  may  receive  his  orders  from 
this  department ; and  he  will  be  allowed  ten  cents  per  mile  for  his 
transportation  while  travelling  on  duty  connected  with  the  commission. 

For  these  allowances  he  will  be  authorized  to  draw  on  you  or  on 
this  department,  payable  in  W ashington,  as  he  may  prefer.  His  per- 
sonal expenses  will  be  allowed  him  in  addition,  as  have  been,  or  may 
be,  allowed  to  other  officers  of  the  commission,  due  regard  being  had 
to  his  rank. 

When  the  field  duties  shall  be  completed,  or  at  any  time  that  it  may 
be  found  absolutely  necessary  to  suspend  them,  owing  to  impediments 
of  climate,  &c.;  the  plotting  and  drawing  of  the  maps  will  be  prose- 
cuted under  the  direction  of  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  and  under 
your  general  supervision,  in  co-operation  with  the  Mexican  commis- 
sioner and  his  scientific  corps.  The  selection  of  the  draughtsmen,  and 
the  other  members  of  the  scientific  corps  on  our  side,  to  be  approved 
by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham  and  yourself,  due  regard  being  had  to 
their  scientific  qualifications. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  maps  showing  the  boundary  as  marked 
and  agreed  upon  by  yourself  and  the  Mexican  commissioner,  and  the 
surveyors  on  both  sides,  be  drawn  on  a scale  of  xoooir  on  a series  of 
sheets  of  what  is  called  double-elephant  drawing-paper ; the  whole, 
when  completed,  to  be  signed  by  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps  be- 
fore being  authenticated  by  the  commissioners,  as  is  required  bv  the 
treaty.  In  addition  to  this  series,  to  be  bound  up  in  one  or  more 
volumes,  as  may  be  found  convenient,  such  localities  as  it  may  be 
deemed  important  to  lay  down  in  more  minute  detail  may  be  drawn 


74 


S.  Doc.  121. 


on  a scale  not  exceeding  -eoVo?  and  a general  map  should  be  constructed 
of  the  whole  boundary,  in  two  or  more  sheets,  on  a scale  of  about  one 
inch  to  ten  miles,  or  say  yooVocr* 

The  head  of  the  scientific  corps  will  have  the  custody  of  the  astro- 
nomical and  surveying  instruments  and  apparatus,  for  which  he  will 
be  responsible  to  this  department,  and  he  will  be  charged  with 
their  distribution  to  the  assistants  and  surveyors,  as  he  may  deem 
necessary  for  the  performance  of  their  duties,  they  being  accountable 
to  him  for  the  same. 

Disbursements  for  the  purchase  and  repairs  of  instruments  will  also  be 
made  by  Colonel  Graham,  for  which  he  will  account  to  this  department. 

I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary . 

John  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner , Sfc.,  El  Paso , via  San  Antonio. 


No.  14. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington , October  23,  1850. 

Sir:  In  a letter  of  this  date  to  Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory,  I have 
directed  that  officer  to  turn  over  to  you  as  speedily  as  possible,  after 
he  shall  have  transacted  the  necessary  business  of  the  commission  at 
San  Diego,  sufficient  funds,  and  the  property  of  the  commission,  when 
you  will,  with  the  whole  party  belonging  to  the  commission,  proceed 
by  the  shortest  route  to  El  Paso,  where  you  will  report  to  Mr.  J.  R. 
Bartlett,  commissioner.  Considering  the  great  length  of  time  which  is 
required  in  crossing  the  isthmus,  and  the  dangers  to  which  you  would  be 
exposed  in  crossing  the  country  through  Texas,  I recommend  that  you 
should  proceed  overland  through  Mexico,  or  up  the  valley  of  the  Gila. 

I would  suggest  that  the  commissioner  and  main  body  of  the  party, 
with  the  escort,  have,  in  all  probability,  already  progressed  beyond  the 
white  settlements  of  Texas,  and  that  very  great  difficulty  would  be 
experienced  in  obtaining  for  you  a proper  escort,  which  the  hostility  of 
the  Indians  of  Texas  makes  a matter  of  necessity  at  this  time. 

Upon  inquiry,  it  cannot  be  learned  that  any  train  or  escort  will  leave 
San  Antonio — after  you  could  possibly  arrive  there — for  El  Paso,  until 
next  spring. 

Being  well  aware  of  the  time  appointed  for  meeting  the  Mexican 
commission  at  El  Paso,  it  would  be  superfluous  to  suggest  to  you  all 
haste  compatible  with  the  safety  of  your  party  and  their  instruments. 

Your  future  instructions  you  will  receive  from  Mr.  Bartlett. 

I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

WILL.  A.  GRAHAM, 

Acting  Secretary. 

A.  B.  Gray,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Surveyor , M.  B.  C.,  San  Diego. 

P.  S. — This  letter  was  intended  for  the  steamer,  but  was  unavoida- 
bly delayed. 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  15. 


75 


Washington,  October  25,  1850. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
the  2*3d  instant,  and  also  the  copy  of  the  instructions  of  that  date  from 
the  department  to  John  R.  Bartlett,  esq.,  United  States  commissioner 
for  running  and  marking  the  boundary  under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe 
Hidalgo. 

I have  already  entered  upon  the  duties  directed  by  the  department, 
and  I shall  lose  no  time  in  perfecting  the  preliminary  preparations,  and 
in  proceeding  then  to  join  Commissioner  Bartlett  in  the  field  in  com- 
pliance with  your  orders. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brevet  Lieut.  Col . Top.  Engineers , fyc.,  fyc. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior . 


No.  16. 


Department  of  War, 

October  21,  1850. 

Sir  : Owing  to  circumstances  of  great  public  emergency,  a desire 
has  been  expressed  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior  that  Lieutenant 
Colonel  James  D.  Graham,  of  the  corps  of  topographical  engineers, 
should  be  put  in  charge  of  the  scientific  operations  on  our  side,  lor  the 
joint  demarcation  of  the  boundary  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico,  under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  provided  it  can  be 
done  without  removing  Colonel  Graham  from  the  direction,  now  ex- 
ercised by  him  under  the  Department  of  State,  of  the  restoration,  by 
reconstruction,  of  the  maps  showing  the  boundary  under  the  treaty  of 
Washington,  (which  were  destroyed  by  fire  in  April,  1848,)  as  directed 
by  the  act  of  Congress  of  August  12,  1848. 

Colonel  Graham  has  signified  a great  reluctance  to  be  detached 
from  the  general  superintendence  of  these  maps,  upon  which  he  has 
bestowed  so  much  labor,  and  which  he  has  brought  so  near  to  a state 
of  completion.  A proposition  has  therefore  been  made  to  continue 
him,  as  at  present,  in  the  charge  of  this  work,  to  be  prosecuted  under 
his  instructions,  while  absent,  by  his  assistant,  Lieut.  George  Thom, 
of  the  corps  of  topographical  engineers,  Colonel  Graham  to  remain 
responsible  for  their  faithful  and  accurate  completion. 

The  Departments  of  War  and  of  the  Interior  both  concur  in  this 
arrangement ; and  should  it  meet  also  the  approval  and  assent  of  the 
State  Department,  for  which  it  is  respectfully  submitted  to  your  con- 
sideration, Colonel  Graham  will  be  assigned  to  the  duty  of  principal 
astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps  on  our  side  upon  the 
United  States  and  Mexican  boundary  line,  and  Lieutenant  Thom  will 
be  allowed  to  remain  in  his  present  position,  under  the  orders  of  Col. 


76 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Graham,  until  the  reconstruction  of  the  maps  of  the  boundary  under 
the  treaty  of  Washington  shall  be  finished. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  ser- 
vant, 

WM.  A.  GRAHAM, 

Secretary  of  War  ad  interim , and  of  the  Interior  ad  interim • 
Hon.  Daniel  Webster, 

Secretary  of  State • 


No.  17. 

Department  of  State, 

Washington , October  28,  1850. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  the  letter  which 
you  addressed  to  this  department  on  the  21st  instant,  stating  that, 
under  circumstances  of  great  public  emergency,  it  is  desirable  that 
Lieut.  Colonel  James  D.  Graham,  of  the  corps  of  topographical  en- 
gineers, should  be  put  in  charge  of  the  operations  on  the  part  of  this 
government  for  the  joint  demarcation  of  the  boundary  between  the 
United  States  and  Mexico,  under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  # 
provided  it  can  be  done  without  removing  Colonel  Graham  from  the 
direction  now  exercised  by  him  under  the  Department  of  State  of  the 
restoration,  by  reconstruction,  of  the  maps  showing  the  boundary 
under  the  treaty  of  Washington,  (which  were  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1848,)  as  authorized  by  the  act  of  Congress  of  August  12,  1848;  and 
inviting  the  assent  and  approval  of  the  State  Department  to  an  arrange- 
ment concurred  in  by  the  Departments  of  War  and  of  the  Interior, 
whereby  Colonel  Graham  will  be  assigned  to  the  duty  of  principal 
astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  on  the  part  of  this  govern- 
ment, upon  the  United  States  and  Mexican  boundary,  and  Lieutenant 
George  Thom  will  be  allowed  to  remain  in  his  present  position,  under 
the  orders  of  Colonel  Graham,  until  the  reconstruction  of  the  maps 
referred  to  shall  be  completed. 

I have  the  honor  to  inform  you,  in  reply,  that  your  communication  of 
the  21st  instant  was  immediately  forwarded  to  Mr.  Webster,  and  that 
I am  now  authorized  to  convey  to  you  his  cheerful  concurrence  in  the 
arrangement  proposed. 

I am,  sir,  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  S.  DERRICK, 

Acting  Secretary . 

Hon.  W.  A.  Graham, 

Secretary  of  War  ad  interim. 


No.  18. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington , November  20,  1850. 

Sir:  Annexed  you  have  a copy  of  my  letter,  dated  the  loth  instant, 
to  Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory,  United  States  army,  containing  instruc- 


S.  Doc.  121. 


77 


tions  by  which  you  and  he  will  be  governed  in  relation  to  the  appara- 
tus then  in  his  possession,  belonging  to  the  United  States  boundary 
service. 


I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 


Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

United  States  Army . 


Secretary . 


No.  19. 

[Duplicate  sent  to  Philadelphia  to  Major  Emory  ] 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington , November  15,  1850. 

Sir:  You  will  please  turn  over  to  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  D. 
Graham,  United  States  army,  all  the  chronometers  and  astronomical 
and  surveying  instruments  and  apparatus  now  in  your  possession,  be- 
longing to  the  United  States  boundary  service,  and  take  his  receipts 
in  duplicate  for  the  same:  one  of  which  you  will  keep,  and  forward  the 
other  to  this  department.  If  any  of  these  instruments  are  now  in  Bos- 
ton, New  York,  or  Philadelphia,  you  will  please  turn  them  over  to  the 
following  named  persons,  to  be  subject  to  the  orders  of  Brevet  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  Graham ; so  taking  and  forwarding  their  receipts  for  the 
same,  as  above  mentioned — namely:  at  Boston,  to  Messrs.  Wm.  Bond 
& Son;  at  New  York,  to  Messrs.  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt;  at  Philadelphia, 
to  Mr.  E.  Draper.  And  it  is  desirable  that  you  should  forward  to  the 
department  as  soon  as  practicable  a return  of  all  the  apparatus  you 
have  had  in  charge,  showing  to  whom  each  article  has  been  delivered, 
m what  condition  and  where,  in  order  to  put  the  department  in  posses- 
sion of  the  best  information  in  your  power  as  to  its  present  condition 
and  distribution. 

I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary . 

Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory,  Z7.  S.  A .,  New  YorJc. 


No.  20. 

Washington,  December  9,  1850. 

Dear  Sir:  I have  received  your  note  of  to-day,  accompanied  by 
the  draught  of  a letter  proposed  to  be  sent  to  Captain  Hardcastle,  at 
San  Diego. 

I can  see  no  objection  to  the  ordering  Captain  Hardcastle  and  Doctor 
Parry  to  report  to  Major  Emory  here,  provided  another  officer  of  the 
topographical  engineers  is  detailed  by  the  War  Department  to  supply 
the  place  of  Captain  H.  on  the  Mexican  boundary  survey,  and  that  I 
am  authorized  to  employ  another  competent  person  to  supply  the  place 
of  Dr.  Parry.  I must  remark  that  Captain  Hardcastle  and  Lieutenant 


78 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Whipple  are  the  only  assistants  from  the  corps  of  topographical  engi 
neers  now  assigned  to  the  boundary  service. 

By  a close  estimate  I have  made  I find  there  are  full  sixteen  hundred 
miles  of  actual  boundary  to  be  surveyed ; and  I think  at  least  four 
lieutenants  of  topographical  engineers  very  desirable  for  that  long  ex- 
tent of  line,  provided  it  be  possible  for  them  to  be  detailed. 

At  the  same  time  it  appears  very  reasonable  that  Major  Emory  should 
be  allowed  to  retain  these  assistants,  to  aid  him  to  complete  the  portion 
of  the  work  he  has  executed  in  the  field,  provided  it  can  be  done  with- 
out diminishing  the  assistance  actually  on  the  line. 

Yours,  very  truly, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM,  Lieut.  Col.,  fyc. 

D.  C.  Goddard,  Esq., 

Chief  Clerk  Department  of  the  Interior. 


No.  21. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

December  12,  1850. 


Dear  Sir:  Under  an  agreement  with  the  Mexican  commissioner, 
Captain  Hardcastle  must  remain  on  the  line  west  of  the  Colorado,  until 
the  monuments  shipped  from  New  York  in  October  are  received  at  San 
Diego  and  erected  at  the  points  fixed.  It  will,  therefore,  be  impossible 
for  him  to  join  you.  We  have  applied  to  the  Secretary  of  War  for  an 
additional  officer,  but  Colonel  Abert  responds  that  none  can  be  spared 
until  spring,  when  some  of  them  can  be  relieved  from  other  duties. 

Major  Emory’s  request  that  Captain  Hardcastle  may  report  to  him, 
cannot,  I suppose,  be  objected  to ; but  the  Secretary  would  prefer  that 
your  views  should  be  consulted,  and  before  he  gives  the  order  hopes  to 
hear  from  you. 

I am,  very  truly,  yours, 

D.  G.  GODDARD. 


Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Topographical  Engineers • 


No.  22. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

December  23,  1850. 

Sir  : Orders  to  the  contrary  having  been  heretofore  issued  to  Brevet 
Major  Emory,  I have  now  to  request  that  you  will  remain  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  duty  in  which  you  are  at  present  engaged  until  the  erec- 
tion of  the  monuments  is  completed.  You  may  retain . those  of  the 
employes  whose  services  you  may  need,  and  furnish  the  others  with 
funds  to  return  home. 

You  will  take  measures  to  forward  such  of  the  instruments  now  in 


S.  Doc.  121. 


79 


your  possession  as  you  may  not  require,  to  the  care  of  Messrs.  E.  & 
G.  W.  Blunt,  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  forward  a list  of  the  same 
to  this  department. 

I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 


Capt.  E.  L.  F.  Hardcastle, 

San  Diego , California • 


Secretary. 


Note. — The  above  was  received  by  me  from  the  Department  of  the 
Interior,  at  Washington,  January  3,  1851. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM. 


No.  23. 


Colonel  Graham's  opinion  in  regard  to  the  proposition  to  survey  the  Gulf  of 

California . 

Washington,  December  27,  1850. 

The  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior 
having  referred  to  me  (for  my  views  of  the  measures  therein  suggested) 
the  letter  of  Lieut.  J.  G.  Strain,  of  the  navy,  of  the  31st  of  October 
last,  and  the  papers  accompanying  it,  I have  the  honor  to  state  that  I 
have  perused  them  all  with  attention,  and  that  I feel  obliged  to  give  it 
as  my  opinion  (which  I do  with  all  deference)  that  the  measures  sug- 
gested by  Lieut.  Strain  have  no  relation  whatever  to  the  survey  and 
demarcation  of  the  boundary  under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo, 
and  that  they  ought  not  in  any  way  to  be  connected  therewith.  I have 
made  a careful  calculation  of  the  length  of  boundary  line  to  be  sur- 
veyed, and  marked  by  suitable  monuments,  and  find  it  to  be  about 
1,(300  miles,  independent  of  the  lateral  surveys  that  will  be  requisite 
in  order  to  determine  the  true  line  of  boundary,  should  doubts  on  this 
point  arise,  on  any  portion  of  the  line,  in  the  minds  of  the  commission- 
ers. The  aggregate  extent  of  survey,  necessary  to  fix  the  line,  will 
scarcely  fall  short  of  two  thousand  or  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles. 
Every  one  connected  with  this  survey  will  then  have  as  much  as  they 
can  possibly  attend  to,  in  performing  the  duties  immediately  connected 
with  the  boundary  line,  which  should  be  completed  at  as  early  a period 
as  practicable.  Besides  these  considerations  of  expediency,  I cannot 
perceive  how  the  expenses  which  would  attend  the  accomplishment  of 
Lieut.  Strain’s  project  could  be  legitimately  drawn  from  the  appropria- 
tions granted  by  Congress  for  the  boundary  survey. 

The  Gulf  of  California  lies  far  from  the  line  of  boundary,  and  in 
territory  belonging  exclusively  to  Mexico,  and  not  within  the  jurisdic- 
tion, therefore,  of  the  United  States.  To  attempt  a minute  survey  of 
this  gulf,  under  the  pretence  of  its  being  an  adjunct  operation  to  the 
boundary  purvey,  would,  undoubtedly,  arouse  the  suspicions  of  Mexico 
and  gj^e  offence  to  that  republic. 

It  is  true,  that,  by  the  provisions  of  the  late  treaty,  our  citizens  have 


80 


S.  Doc.  121. 


the  right  of  ingress  and  egress  through  the  Gulf  of  California;  and  it 
is  not  improbable  that,  if  the  proposition  were  made  to  the  Mexican 
government  through  the  proper  channel,  she  might  be  disposed  to  enter 
into  a joint  arrangement  with  our  government  for  an  accurate  hydrogra- 
phic survey  of  this  gulf — an  undertaking  that  would  be  equally  honor- 
able to  both  governments,  and  highly  advantageous  to  the  commerce  of 
both  people.  But,  in  such  an  event,  I should  think  it  highly  expedient 
that  so  important  an  operation  should,  on  our  side,  be  placed  under 
the  direction  of  one  of  the  organized  corps  of  the  government,  main- 
tained for  such  purposes,  and  provided  with  all  the  requisite  apparatus 
and  scientific  experience  which  are  necessary  to  success. 

I find,  by  reference  to  the  latest  maps  we  have  of  California,  that 
the  area  of  this  gulf  is  not  less  than  sixty-two  thousand  square  miles. 
To  accomplish  a survey  of  it,  in  a manner  to  satisfy  the  requirements 
of  commerce,  would,  to  say  the  least,  occupy  several  years ; and  it 
would  probably  cost  very  nearly  as  much  as  has  been  appropriated  for 
the  whole  boundary  survey ; perhaps  even  more. 

If  a mere  reconnaissance  of  the  gulf  is  proposed,  I will  remark  that 
Mr.  Gray,  the  United  States  surveyor,  informed  me,  on  his  arrival  here, 
that  General  Persifor  Smith  had  already  detailed  an  officer  and  sup- 
plied a vessel  for  that  object.  I presume  he  had  proper  authority  for 
so  doing. 

In  regard  to  the  “flotilla”  which  Lieutenant  Strain  alludes  to  as 
being  in  command  of,  I must  again  most  respectfully  remark,  that  I 
consider  this  an  injudicious  arrangement,  and  that  it  ought  to  be  dis- 
pensed with.  I have  been  frequently  engaged  on  surveys,  for  the  last 
thirty  years,  of  rivers,  harbors,  and  portions  of  the  seacost,  and  always 
found  the  best  persons  to  manage  the  boats  employed  on  such  service, 
were  the  engineers  and  surveyors  charged  with  and  responsible  for 
the  execution  of  the  duty.  Landsmen,  born  and  reared  near  the  sea- 
coast,  or  near  our  greater  rivers,  generally  possess  all  the  skill  requisite 
for  the  management  of  such  boats;  and  I would  much  prefer,  on  this 
boundary  service,  the  system  in  this  respect  which  I have  always  here- 
tofore practised ; and,  therefore,  I respectfully  recommend  it  to  your 
favorable  consideration. 

The  letter  of  Lieutenant  Strain  to  the  department,  of  October  31st, 
and  the  papers  therein  alluded  to  as  accompanying  the  same,  are  here- 
with handed  back  to  the  department. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Col.  and  Head  oj  the  Scientific  Corps , <Jr.,  tyc. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

• Secretary  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior . 


No.  24. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

January  f , 1851. 

Sir:  I enclose  herewith  a copy  of  the  orders  issued  to  Breve?  Cap- 
tain Hardcastle,  on  the  23d  ultimo,  by  which  you  wifi  perceive  that  he 


S.  Doc.  121.  81 

is  to  remain  on  the  Pacific  end  of  the  boundary  line  until  the  duties 
assigned  him  there  are  completed. 

What  subsequent  steps  he  will  take,  will  be  the  subject  of  future 
orders. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary . 

Brevet  Lt.  Col.  James  D.  Graham, 

£7.  S.  Topographical  Engineers , §'c., 


No.  25. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

January  2,  1851. 

Sir:  Agreeable  to  your  request  I herewith  enclose  a copy  of  Brevet 
Captain  Hardcastle’s  receipt  for  certain  astronomical  instruments, 
delivered  to  him  by  Brevet  Major  Emory,  at  San  Diego,  California, 
October  3,  1850. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary . 

Brevet  Lt.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

U.  S.  Topographical  Engineers , Chief  Astronomer  and 

Head  of  Scientific  Corps  U.  S.  and  M.  B.  C. 


No.  26. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

January  2,  1851. 

Sir  : I herewith  enclose  letters  addressed  to  Messrs.  E.  & G.  W. 
Blunt,  New  York,  and  Wm.  Bond  & Sons,  Boston,  requesting  them  to 
deliver  to  you  such  instruments  belonging  to  the  boundary  commission 
as  are  in  their  possession. 

1 am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary . 

Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  James  D.  Graham, 

U.  S.  Top . Eng.,  Chief  of  S.  C.  U.  S.  M.  B.  C. 


No.  27. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

January  2,  1851. 

Gentlemen:  You  are  requested  to  turn  over  to  Brevet  Lieutenant 
Colonel  James  D.  Graham,  United  States  topographical  engineers,  the 


82 


S.  Doc.  121. 


instruments  deposited  with  you  by  Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory,  to  be 
used  in  running  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  Mex- 
ico, under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary. 

Messrs.  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt, 

179  Water  street , New  York. 


No.  28. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington , January  2,  1S51. 

Gentlemen:  You  are  requested  to  deliver  to  Brevet  Lieutenant 
Colonel  James  D.  Graham,  United  States  topographical  engineers,  such 
of  the  instruments  belonging  to  the  United  States  and  Mexican  boundary 
commission,  and  deposited  with  you  by  Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory, 
as  are  still  in  your  possession. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary. 

Messrs.  Wm.  Bond  & Son, 

No.  26  Congress  street , Boston . 


No.  29. 

Washington,  January  4,  1851. 

Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
the  1st  instant,  enclosing  a copy  of  the  orders  of  the  department,  of  the 
23d  ultimo,  to  Brevet  Captain  Hardcastle,  which  require  him  to  remain 
on  his  present  duties  until  the  erection  of  the  monuments  is  completed. 

As  there  are  only  seven  of  these,  I presume  it  will  not  detain  him 

long-  ... 

This  decision  of  the  department  leaves  me  with  but  one  officer  of 
topographical  engineers  to  assist  me  in  the  surveys  necessary  for  the 
tracing  out  and  marking  of  full  one  thousand  six  hundred  miles  of 
boundary  under  the  late  treaty  with  Mexico.  F rom  all  that  I can  learn 
of  the  organization  that  has  gone  out,  I am  satisfied  that  my  chief  aid 
in  the  scientific  duties  on  this  line  must  be  derived  from  the  corps  of 
topographical  engineers. 

The  honorable  the  Secretary  of  War  having  very  kindly  expressed, 
during  my  last  interview  with  him,  a desire  to  make  every  practicable 
arrangement  in  his  power  to  increase  the  assistance  from  that  corps  for 
this  service,  I take  leave  very  respectfully  to  recommend  that  applica- 
tion be  made  to  the  department  lor  three  additional  lieutenants  to  be 
detailed  for  it,  if  it  can  possibly  be  done  without  injustice  to  other 
branches  of  the  service.  I would  feel  justified  in  asking  for  even  a 
greater  number  for  so  extensive  a line,  did  I not  know  that  the  small 
number  of  officers  composing  the  corps,  and  the  great  demands  upon 


S.  Doc  121. 


83 


it,  rendel*  it  impossible  for  the  colonel  of  the  corps  to  detail  more  than 
the  number  mentioned  at  this  time  without  prejudice  to  other  important 
public  interests. 

Four  lieutenants  are,  however,  (including  Lieutenant  Whipple,  who 
is  already  on  this  duty,)  the  least  number  that  will  allow  me  to  make 
the  proper  organization  of  parties. 

I propose,  on  reaching  El  Paso,  to  divide  the  scientific  corps  into 
two  grand  divisions ; the  one  to  survey  and  mark  the  line  westward, 
and  the  other  to  proceed  eastward  down  the  Rio  Grande.  This  ar- 
rangement would  lead  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  very  arduous  and 
extensive  duty  at  an  earlier  period  and  at  a less  expense  than  by  any 
other  plan ; and  I feel  assured  that  the  commissioners  of  both  govern- 
ments will  approve  it.  At  least  three  surveying  parties  will  be  required 
for  each  division — making  in  all  six — and  the  equipment  must,  in  my 
judgment,  be  completed  accordingly;  for,  when  once  the  work  is  in 
progress  under  such  system  as  shall  be  approved,  we  ought  to  be  pre- 
pared, beyond  any  contingency  of  having  to  resort  to  the  Atlantic  cities 
for  instruments  to  supply  deficiencies  or  losses  by  accident,  should  any 
occur  on  that  remote  frontier,  distant  from  eighteen  hundred  to  three 
thousand  miles  from  any  other  resources  than  those  which  shall  be 
provided  and  carried  out. 

The  department  will  bear  in  mind  that  it  was  expected  that  Mr. 
Gray,  the  surveyor  to  the  commission,  would  meet  me  at  El  Paso  with 
the  instruments  that  were  on  the  Pacific  side  of  the  line.  It  was  not 
until  his  report,  made  to  me  on  the  20th  of  last  month,  (soon  after  his 
unexpected  arrival  here,)  that  I could  possibly  know  how  large  and 
important  a portion  of  the  apparatus  must  fail  altogether  to  be  avail- 
able to  us,  from  that  quarter,  for  this  service.  Even  after  that  late  date 
have  I been  obliged  to  modify,  very  materially,  the  arrangements  ne- 
cessary for  the  equipment  of  the  scientific  corps  on  our  side.  If  more 
time  has  been  consumed  for  this  object  than  was  expected,  it  should  be 
recollected  that  it  has  been  owing  to  the  derangements  in  the  organiza- 
tion, which  occurred  before  I was  attached  to  this  service,  over  which 
I could  not  have  exercised  any  control  whatever.  To  remedy  these  was 
my  first  duty;  and  I have  been  devoting  my  whole  time  and  attention 
to  that  object,  from  the  moment  they  were  from  time  to  time  de- 
veloped, impressed  deeply  with  the  conviction  that  the  preparations 
consequent  upon  these  contingencies  were  indispensable  to  prevent  a 
failure  of  the  primary  objects  of  the  commission. 

I am  now  putting  up  in  boxes,  for  safe  transportation,  the  articles 
I was  obliged  to  provide  here,  and  which  could  only  be  prepard  here, 
where  I was  obliged  to  be,  to  analyze  matters  of  the  first  importance 
respecting  the  equipment  of  instruments,  so  far  as  the  files  of  the  In- 
terior Department  afforded  information  on  that  all-important  point. 

I shall  depart  so  soon  as  this  packing  of  the  apparatus  can  be  com- 
pleted. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel. 


Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior , fyc.,  fyc.,  fyc. 


84 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  30. 


Bureau  of  Topographical  Engineers, 

Washington , January  7,  1851# 

Sir:  I send,  herewith,  a copy  of  an  order  this  day  received  from  the 
War  Department.  Also,  a copy  of  special  orders.  No.  3,  received  from 
the  Adjutant  General. 

Respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  J.  ABERT, 

Colonel  Corps  Topographical  Engineers* 
Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Corps  Topographical  Engineers , Washington . 


No.  31. 

War  Department,  January  6,  1851. 

Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  James  D.  Graham,  of  the  corps  of 
topographical  engineers,  having  been  assigned  to  duty,  as  principal  as- 
tronomer and  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States,  for  the  joint  demarcation  of  the  boundary,  under  the  treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  he  is  to  be  retained  in  the  direction  and  command 
of  the  work  committed  to  him,  by  the  State  Department,  of  restoring, 
by  reconstruction,  the  maps  of  the  boundary  under  the  treaty  of  W ash- 
ington,  which  were  destroyed  by  fire,  at  the  city  of  Washington,  on 
the  night  of  the  17th  of  April,  1848;  for  the  accurate  and  prompt  com- 
pletion of  which  he  will  be  held  responsible — this  being  in  accordance 
w'ith  the  understanding  at  the  Departments  of  State,  War,  and  lhe  Inte- 
rior, when  he  was  called  on  for  the  direction  of  the  scientific  operations, 
on  our  side,  upon  the  first-mentiond  work. 

Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham  will  be  furnished  with  a copy  of 
this  order. 

C.  M.  CONRAD,  Secretary  of  War . 

Colonel  J.  J.  Abert, 

Commanding  Corps  oj  Top . Engineers , Washington , D.  C. 


No.  32. 


[Special  Orders  No.  3.] 

War  Department,  Adjutant  General's  Office, 

Washington , January  6,  1851. 

Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  James  D.  Graham,  major  topographical  engi- 
neers, having  been  appointed  the  principal  astronomer  to  the  commis- 
sion to  run  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico, 
under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  is  hereby  assigned  to  duty, 
according  to  his  brevet  rank. 

The  commander  of  the  military  escort  organized  for  service  with  the 


S Doc.  121. 


85 


commission,  pursuant  to  instructions  from  the  headquarters  of  the 
army,  dated  duly  24,  1850,  will  be  guided  in  his  duties  by  the  pro- 
visions of  paragraph  887  of  the  “General  Regulations  for  the  Army.” 
By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

R.  JONES,  Adjutant  General. 


No.  33. 


Bureau  Topographical  Engineers, 

January  9,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  report  that  arrangements  are  now  making 
to  detail  two  additional  officers  of  the  corps  of  topographical  engineers 
as  assistants  to  Lieut.  Col.  Graham.  A third  will  be  supplied  if  it  can 
be  done  ; but  it  is  out  of  my  power,  without  disregarding  other  duties 
of  the  corps,  to  provide  more  than  two  for  the  present. 

With  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  J.  ABERT, 

Colonel  Corps  Topographical  Engineers. 

Hon-  C.  M.  Conrad, 

Secretary  Department  of  War. 


No.  34. 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

January  11,  1851. 

Sir:  I enclose  herewith  a copy  of  the  report  of  Colonel  J.  J.  Abert, 
of  the  9th  instant,  to  the  Secretary  of  W ar,  referred  to  this  department, 
having  reference  to  jrour  application  for  three  additional  officers  of  the 
corps  of  topographical  engineers,  as  assistants  to  aid  in  the  duty  as- 
signed you  as  chief  astronomer,  &c.,  on  the  Mexican  boundary  com- 
mission. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  H.  H.  STUART,  Secretary . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham,  U.  S.  A ., 

Chief  Astronomer  Mexican  Boundary  Commission , 

Washington , D.  C. 


No.  35. 


New  York,  January  23,  1851. 

Gentlemen  : I enclose  herewith  an  order  from  the  Department  of 
the  Interior,  dated  the  2d  instant,  requesting  you  to  deliver  to  me  the 
instruments  deposited  with  you  by  Brevet  Major  Emory,  to  be  used 


86 


S.  Doc.  121. 


on  the  Mexican  boundary  line.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  furnish 
me  with  an  invoice  of  the  same,  and  1 will  receipt  to  you  for  them. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Major  Top,  Eng .,  Bit . Lieut . CoL 

Messrs.  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt,  New  York* 


No.  36. 


New  York,  January  2S,  1851. 

Sir  : Messrs.  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt  have  just  reported  to  me  the  fact 
that  the  altitude  and  azimuth  instrument  belonging  to  the  boundary 
commission  is  at  West  Point,  having  been  sent  there  in  temporary  ex- 
change for  another  instrument,  (a  zenith  and  equal  altitude  telescope 
with  double  spider-line  micrometer,)  loaned  to  Brevet  Major  Emory* 
in  February,  1849.  The  last  mentioned  instrument  has  been  reported* 
I think,  as  being  on  its  way  from  San  Diego  to  New  York,  pursuant  to 
being  returned  to  West  Point. 

The  altitude  and  azimuth  instrument  is  an  indispensable  part  of  the 
apparatus  for  my  present  duties,  and,  indeed,  it  is  one  of  primary  im- 
portance. It  was  made  under. my  directions  by  Troughton  & Simms* 
of  London,  for  especial  use  on  the  northeastern  boundary,  and  is  the  in- 
strument with  which  I determined  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  south- 
west branch  of  the  river  St.  John  with  the  parallel  of  latitude  46°  25-' 
satisfactorily  and  conclusively,  from  three  nights’  observations  in  Octo- 
ber, 1844.  It  is  a most  accurate  instrument — in  fact,  almost  a portable 
observatory  within  itself,  being  not  only  applicable  to  the  determina- 
tion of  latitude  from  observed  altitudes  of  stars,  but  serves  also  the 
place  of  a meridian  transit  instrument.  It  is  admirably  adapted  for 
use  throughout  the  long  extent  of  *the  Rio  Grande,  where  many  astro- 
nomical observations  will  have  to  be  made,  and  where  we  shall  have 
water  transportation  for  it.  In  1844  I transported  it  to  the  headwaters 
of  the  river  St.John,  from  the  Grand  Falls  of  that  river  and  back  again 
in  a batteau,  (the  river  being  in  most  places  very  shoal  and  filled  with 
rough  rocky  rapids,)  in  perfect  safety. 

The  fact  that  so  small  and  insufficient  a portion  of  the  apparatus 
originally  furnished  for  this  service  is  now  on  the  Atlantic  side  of  the 
boundary,  renders  it  indispensable,  in  my  opinion,  that  the  instrument 
now  referred  to  should  be  placed  at  my  disposal  with  as  little  delay 
as  possible.  I do  not  think  it  can  be  necessary  at  West  Point,  where 
the  observatory  is  well  supplied  with  its  mural  circle  and  other  instru- 
ments of  a much  larger  class  than  the  one  in  question,  used  for  similar 
objects ; and,  if  I mistake  not,  there  was  already  an  instrument  simi- 
lar to  mine  (if  I may  so  designate  it)  at  West  Point  before  the  one  I 
now  ask  for  was  sent  there. 

I have  been  confined  to  my  bed  by  indisposition  for  the  last  three 


S.  Doc.  121.  87 

days,  under  the  attendance  of  Dr.  Mower,  surgeon  United  States  army, 
* but  I shall  be  out  to-morrow. 

I am,  veiy  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Major  Top . Eng.,  Bvt . Lieut . Col.,  Sfc. 

Hon.  Alex.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  Department  of  the  Interior . 

P.  S. — An  order  on  the  superintendent  of  the  Military  Academy, 
through  the  engineer  department,  (General  Totten,)  will  be  required  to 
get  the  instrument,  a duplicate  of  which  I request  may  be  sent  to  me 
here.  As  no  officer  has  been  detailed  for  me  yet,  I shall  have  to  go 
for  it  myself. 

J.  D.  G. 


No.  37. 

New  York,  January  23,  1851. 

Sir:  You  are  hereby  appointed  an  assistant  computer  to  the  head 
of  the  scientific  corps,  United  States  commission  of  boundary,  under 
the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  with  a compensation  of  $500  per 
annum  and  one  ration  per  day. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps. 

John  H.  Clark,  Esq. 


No.  38. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington,  January  23,  1851. 

Sir  : For  your  information  I herewith  send  you  a copy  of  a letter  just 
received  from  the  senators  and  representatives  in  Congress  from  the 
State  of  Texas,  respecting  a map  of  our  territorial  acquisitions  from 
Mexico,  published  by  Charles  Preuss,  esq.,  September,  1850. 

I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary . 

Bvt.  Lieut.  Col.  James  D.  Graham, 

U.  S.  Top.  Engineers , fyc.,  §c.,  City  of  New  Yorh. 


(No.  39 — Enclosure  in  No.  38.) 

Washington,  January  20,  1851. 

Sir:  A map  has  just  fallen  under  our  observation,  entitled  a “ map 
of  territory  acquired  from  Mexico,  showing  boundaries  of  California, 
Utah,  New  Mexico  and  Texas,  as  proposed  by  Senate  bills  169,  170, 
225  and  237,  and  adopted  by  Congress;  by  Charles  Preuss:  September, 
IS50  $”  which,  if  it  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  commission  appointed 


88 


S.  Doc.  121. 


to  run  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  may 
produce  delay  and  misunderstanding,  if  not  serious  injury  to  the  interests 
of  the  former.  This  map  was  not  “ adopted”  by  Congress,  but  is  the 
production  of  individual  enterprise,  unsanctioned  by  that  body. 

We  believe  that  if  the  line  be  run  and  marked  strictly  in  accordance 
with  Disturnell’s  map  attached  to  the  treaty,  it  will  throw  into  the  ter- 
ritory of  the  United  States  the  best  route  that  is  to  be  found  for  a road 
to  connect  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  with  the  shores  of  the  Pacific 
ocean.  This  is  a point  of  immense  importance  to  the  United  States,  as 
the  possession  of  the  road  will  tend  greatly  to  increase  our  commerce, 
and  enable  us  fully  to  comply  with  the  requisitions  of  the  treaty,  by 
preventing  Indian  depredations  upon  the  citizens  of  Mexico. 

If,  on  the  contrary,  the  boundary  line  should  be  run  according  to  the 
map  first  alluded  to,  it  will  deprive  the  United  States  of  the  road  by 
giving  to  Mexico  the  land  over  which  the  road  must  run.  This  map 
represents  the  western  line  of  New  Mexico  as  running  up,  northwardly, 
into  impassable  mountains,  and  could  not  have  been  drawn  to  cut  us 
off  more  effectually  than  it  does  from  the  route  down  the  Gila  to  Cali- 
fornia. 

The  line,  if  run  according  to  the  map  in  question,  would  confer  no 
advantage  upon,  but,  on  the  contrary,  do  an  injury  to  Mexico,  whilst 
it  would  inflict  very  serious  damage  upon  the  United  States. 

By  the  fifth  article  of  the  treat}1,  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  very  extra- 
ordinary powers  are  vested  in  the  commissioners  named  for  running  and 
marking  the  boundary  line,  and  their  decision  in  the  premises  is  made 
to  have  the  same  force  and  effect  as  the  treaty  itself. 

If  the  commissioners  should  depart  from  Disturnell’s  map,  there  is 
one,  published  by  the  authority  of  Mexico,  under  the  law  of  December, 
1836,  (a  translated  copy  of  which  we  send  to  you,)  which  shows  that 
the  southern  line  of  New  Mexico  runs  much  further  south  and  west  than 
it  is  placed,  even  upon  Disturnell’s  map,  attached  to  the  treaty. 

In  view  of  the  vast  importance  of  this  point,  we  are  induced,  respect- 
fully, to  suggest  that  it  may  be  well  for  you  to  communicate  with  our 
commissioner,  Mr.  Bartlett,  on  the  subject. 

With  great  respect,  your  obedient  servants, 

THOS.  J.  RUSK, 

V.  E.  HOWARD, 

SAM  HOUSTON, 

DAVID  S.  KAUFMAN. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


No.  40 — (Also  enclosed  in  No.  38.) 

Division  of  the  Mexican  territory  into  departments. 

1st.  The  Mexican  territory  is  to  be  divided  into  as  many  depart- 
ments as  there  were  States,  with  the  following  alterations : 

2d.  The  former  State  ol  Coahuila  and  Texas  is  divided  into  two 


S.  Doc.  121. 


89 


departments,  each  having  its  respective  territory.  New  Mexico  shall 
form  a department.  Upper  and  Lower  California  shall  form  a depart- 
ment. Aguas  Calientes  shall  form  a department  with  the  territory  it  at 
present  contains.  The  territory  of  Colima  shall  be  united  to  the  de- 
partment of  Michoacan.  The  territory  of  Tlaxala  shall  be  united  to 
the  department  of  Mexico.  The  capital  of  the  department  of  Mexico 
is  the  city  of  that  name. 

3d.  The  governor  and  departmental  assembly  of  Coahuila  shall  ex- 
ercise their  functions  only  within  the  department  of  that  name. 

4th.  Whenever  order  shall  be  restored  in  the  department  of  Texas, 
the  government  will  indicate  the  measures  necessary  for  the  organiza- 
tion of  its  authorities,  establishing  the  capital  in  such  place  as  it  may 
deem  proper. 

5th.  In  the  department  of  the  Californias,  the  government  shall 
designate,  provisionally,  the  capital,  and  the  authorities  which  are  to 
continue  until  the  elections  under  the  constitution  take  place. 

6th.  The  department  assemblies  shall  divide,  provisionally,  their 
respective  departments  into  districts,  and  these  into  sections  and  pre- 
fects, and  sub-prefects.  Courts  and  justices  of  the  peace  shall  be  nomi- 
nated as  the  constitutional  laws  provide. 

7th.  The  courts  of  the  first  instance  shall  be  regulated  in  accordance 
with  the  provisions  of  the  27th  article  of  the  fifth  constitutional  law, 
(page  364.) 

This  law  was  circulated  on  the  same  day  by  the  office  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  Relations,  and  published  in  an  order  of  the  5th  of  January 
following. 

December  30,  1836. 


No.  41. 


New  York,  Janvanj  26,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
the  23d  instant,  transmitting  for  my  information  a copy  of  a letter  ad- 
dressed to  the  department  on  the  20th  instant  by  the  Senators  and 
Representatives  in  Congress  from  the  State  of  Texas,  respecting  a map 
of  our  territorial  acquisitions  from  Mexico,  published  by  Charles  Preuss, 
esq.,  September,  1850.  Also  a paper  containing  specifications  of  the 
division  of  the  Mexican  territory  into  departments,  December  30,  1836. 

In  the  above-mentioned  letter  to  the  department,  it  is  stated  that  a 
map  was  published  by  the  authority  of  Mexico,  under  the  law  of  De- 
cember, 1836,  showing  the  southern  line  of  New  Mexico,  &c. 

Should  this  map  be  within  reach  of  the  department,  I would  be  glad 
to  obtain  a copy  of  it.  My  draughtsman,  Mr.  Charles  Delisle,  in  the 
Northeastern  Boundary  office,  No.  80  Winder’s  building,  would  copy  it 
on  tissue  paper  in  a very  short  time. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieutenant  Colonel , Sfc. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior , ^'c.,  (Ju. 


90 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  42. 


Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington , February  3,  1851. 

Sir  : I herewith  transmit  a copy  of  a letter  from  Captain  F rederick 
A.  Smith,  of  the  engineer  department,  by  which  you  will  be  advised 
that  the  superintendent  of  the  Military  Academy  has  been  instructed 
to  turn  over  to  you  the  instruments  belonging  to  the  Mexican  boundary 
commission.  * 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 


Secretary . 

Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

New  York , care  of  E.  G.  W.  Blunt , 179  Water  street . 


No.  43. 

Engineer  Department, 

Washington , February  1,  1851. 

Sir:  In  reply  to  your  note  of  this  date,  I have  the  honor  to  state 
that  directions  will  be  sent  to-day,  both  by  mail  and  telegraph,  to  the 
superintendent  of  the  Military  Academy,  to  turn  over  to  Col.  J.  D. 
Graham  the  altitude  and  azimuth  instrument  belonging  to  the  boundary 
commission. 

Very  respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

FRED.  A.  SMITH, 
Captain  Engineers , in  charge. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


No.  44. 

Colonel  Graham' s receipt  to  Professor  Bartlett  for  instruments. 

West  Point,  February  3,  1851. 

Received  of  Professor  W.  H.  C.  Bartlett,  United  States  Military 
Academ}r,  one  altitude  and  azimuth  instrument,  made  in  1841,  by 
Troughton  & Simms,  of  London,  belonging  to  the  United  States  bound- 
ary service,  which  was  temporarily  exchanged  in  February,  1849,  for 
a zenith  telescope  furnished  to  Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory,  for  use  on 
the  survey  of  the  United  States  and  Mexican  boundary  service,  for 
which  latter  instrument  a new  one  is  to  be  furnished  to  the  Military 
Academy,  at  the  expense  of  the  said  boundary  commission. 

Received,  also,  from  Professor  Bartlett,  for  use  on  the  aforesaid 
boundary  service,  one  transit  instrument  of  forty-two  inch  focal  length 
of  telescope,  and  a portable  iron  stand,  belonging  to  the  United  States 


S.  Doc.  121. 


91 


Military  Academy;  to  be  returned  in  good  order,,  or  another  of  like 
merit  to  be  substituted  at  the  expense  of  the  said  boundary  appro- 
priation. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Major  Topographical  Engineers , Brevet  Lieut.  Col ., 

Head  of  Scientific  Corps , U.  S.  B.  C. 


No.  45. 

Washington,  Febmary  11,  1851. 

Dear  Colonel  : I think,  on  the  whole,  your  presence  here  is  very 
desirable,  before  you  finally  leave  for  El  Paso. 

The  Committee  of  Ways  and  Means  have  reduced  our  estimate  to 
$100,000,  and  some  of  the  members  avow  their  intention  to  vote  against 
any  appropriation  for  the  service  whatever. 

If  you  think,  when  you  have  completed  your  duties  in  New  York, 
that  you  can  make  such  explanations  to  members  of  Congress  as  will 
induce  them  to  look  favorably  on  the  project,  you  can  do  much  good 
here. 

Mr.  Bartlett  writes,  under  date  of  December  19th,  and  expresses 
great  gratification  that  you  are  to  succeed  Colonel  McClellan.  He  says 
he  would  have  selected  you  from  the  whole  army,  if  he  had  been 
offered  his  choice  of  officers. 

His  letter  to  me  contains  considerable  interesting  information,  and 
I send  it  to  you.  Please  return  it  to  me  as  soon  as  you  can. 

I am,  very  truly,  yours, 

D,  C.  GODDARD. 

Brevet  Lt.  Col.  James  D.  Graham, 

Topographical  Engineers . 

P.  S. — The  Secretary  wants  B.’s  letter,  and  I can’t  send  it. 


No.  46. 

New  York,  Februany  18,  1851. 

Sir:  You  will  proceed  on  board  the  schooner  William  H.  Hazard 
to  Indianola,  and  will  have  all  the  United  States  instruments,  and  other 
public  property  on  board,  safely  landed ; for  which  you  will  be  held 
strictly  responsible. 

You  will,  immediately  on  landing  the  instruments  and  other  articles 
of  public  property,  at  Indianola,  encamp  with  the  wrhole  party  there 
until  my  arrival,  seeing  all  the  above  articles  properly  stored,  if  that 
be  practicable ; if  not,  you  will  see  them  properly  protected  under 
the  tents. 

I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 
Lieutenant  Colonel , Commanding . 

Mr.  John  Lawson,  Cleric , fyc.,  fyc. 

P.  S. — Mr,  Clark  will  assist  you  in  these  duties. 


J.  D.  G. 


92 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  47. 


New  York,  February  21,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  report  to  the  department  that  the  schooner 
William  H.  Hazard,  Saunders,  master,  sailed  from  this  port  on  the 
19th  instant,  direct  for  Indianola,  Matagorda  bay,  Texas,  having  on 
board  my  clerk  and  four  other  persons  attached  to  my  party,  and  the 
instruments  made  under  my  supervision  and  direction  in  Washington, 
Philadelphia,  and  New  York,  for  the  use  of  the  commission  on  the  part 
of  the  United  States,  appointed  to  survey  and  mark  the  boundary 
under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo ; and  also  those  received  from 
odier  sources,  as  will  be  particularly  specified  hereafter. 

When  I called  on  Messrs.  William  Bond  & Son,  of  Boston,  under  the 
authority  of  the  department,  for  such  instruments  as  they  might  have  in 
charge  belonging  to  the  boundary  service,  they  informed  me  that  they 
had  nothing  but  two  or  three  broken  barometers,  which  I declined 
taking. 

From  Messrs.  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt,  of  New  York,  I received,  under 
the  same  authority,  the  instruments  mentioned  in  the  invoice  hereto 
annexed,  viz : 


An  invoice  of,  and  receipt  for , instruments  turned  over  ly  Messrs.  E.  Sf  G.  TV.  Blunt  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham , in 
pursuance  of  an  order  from  the  Department  of  the  Interior , dated  January  2 , 1851. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


93 


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UO 


STATEMENT — Continued. 


94 


S.  Doc,  121, 


E.  & G.  W.  BLUNT. 

Received,  New  York,  January  24,  1851,  of  Messrs.  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt,  the  instruments  mentioned  in  the  above  invoice, 
in  the  condition  therein  mentioned.  J*  D.  GRAHAM, 

Major  Topographical  Engineers , Bvt.  Lieut . CoL 


S.  Doc.  121, 


93 


The  repairs  and  improvements  required  for  these,  as  specified  in  the 
column  of  “remarks,”  were  immediately  ordered,  and  were  executed 
as  soon  as  it  was  possible  to  do  them  with  accuracy.  They  are  now' 
in  good  order  for  service,-  except  the  three  cistern  barometers,  Nos.  226, 
227,  and  228,  which  I have  left  in  charge  of  Mr.  James  Green,  instru- 
ment maker,  in  New  York,  to  repair,  and  hold  subject  to  my  future 
order. 

The  altitude  and  azimuth  instrument  made  for  me  in  1841  by 
Troughton  & Simms,  of  London,  was  delivered  to  me  at  West  Point 
by  Professor  W.  H.  C.  Bartlett,  on  the  3d  instant,  in  pursuance  of  an 
order  to  that  effect  from  the  engined!*  department  at  Washington. 

Besides  the  above,  several  other  instruments,  belonging  to  the  north- 
eastern boundary  service,  not  heretofore  required  for  the  present  bound- 
ary, have,  by  certain  improvements  and  additions,  been  rendered 
suitable  for  the  present  service. 

All  the  above  instruments,  added  to  those  which  have  been  made 
to  order  under  my  direction,  make  the  equipment  sufficient  to  meet  the 
present  demands  for  the  United  States  and  Mexican  boundary  line,  and 
place  us  beyond  dependence  on  those  which  were  left  on  the  Pacific. 

The  whole  equipment  thus  provided  under  my  direction,  including 
all  the  above  mentioned,  is  as  follows,  viz : 


Articles. 


R<  marks. 


Two  portable  astronomical 
transits. 


Three  sidereal  chronome- 
ters. 

Two  theodolites,  suitable  for 
triangulating,  and  the  de- 
termination of  azimuths — 
with  tripod  stands. 


One  of  these  was  purchased  F ebruary, 
1851,  by  Colonel  Graham.  The  other 
was  originally  purchased  in  1839,  by 
him,  for  the  United  States  and  Texan 
boundary.  The  object-glass  was  de- 
fective somewhat,  but  has  been  im- 
proved in  New  York,  and  repolished. 


One  of  these  is  by  Brithaupt..  Azimuth 
circle  reads,  by  four  verniers,  to  30" 
each.  The  vertical  circle  reads,  by  aid 
of  three  verniers,  to  15"  each.  The 
other  (No.  501,  by  Ertel)  was  re- 
ceived from  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt,  under 


Four  other  theodolites,  read- 
ing to  minutes,  for  traverse 
work  on  the  line— with 
tripod  stands. 

One  altitude  and  azimuth  in- 
strument for  astronomical 


order  of  Department  of  the  Interior, 
of  January  2,  1851.  A new  tripod- 
stand  and  new  spirit-levels  have  been 
made  for  it  under  my  direction. 

Made  to  order,  by  my  direction,  for  the 
present  boundary  service. 


I used  this  instrument  in  1844  to  deter- 
mine the  latitude  46°  25',  where  inter- 


96 


S.  Doc.  121. 

STATEMENT— Continued. 


Articles. 


Remarks. 


purposes.  The  altitude 
circle  is  eighteen  inches, 
and  the  azimuth  circle 
sixteen  inches  in  diame- 
ter— each  reading,  by  op- 
posite micrometer  micro- 
scopes, to  seconds.  This 
instrument  was  made  to 
my  special  order  in  1841 
by  Troughton  & Simms, 
of  London. 

One  repeating  circle  of  re- 
flexion by  Dolland,  No. 
125.  Reads  to  10". 

One  Kater  circle,  No.  45,  by 
Dunn.  The  altitude  and 
azimuth  circles  are  six 
inches  in  diameter,  and 
each  reads  to  10". 

Two  other  Kater  circles, 
Nos.  46  & 47,  by  Trough- 
ton  & Simms,  of  London. 
The  azimuth  and  altitude 
circles  of  these  are  each 
six  inches  in  diameter — 
each  reading  to  10". 

One  parallactic  telescope  of 
three  feet  focal  length, 
with  a single  spider-line 
micrometer.  This  instru- 
ment is  used  for  the  deter- 
mination of  distances,  by 
accurate  micrometer  mea- 
surements of  the  angle  of 
subtense  of  a rod  of  given 
length,  or  of  its  own  base, 
and  dispenses  with  all 
measurements  with  the 
chain.  It  is  a new  inven- 
tion. 

Two  rods  of  wood,  the  one 
twelve  feet  and  the  other 
thirteen  feet  long,  accu- 
rately graduated,  and  pro- 
vided with  two  targets 


sected  by  the  southwest  branch  of  the 
river  St.  John — a point  indicated  in 
the  treaty  of  Washington.  Having 
been  temporarily  deposited  at  West 
Point  in  April,  1849,  I obtained  it 
there,  under  an  order  from  the  engi- 
neer department,  on  the  3d  of  Febru- 
ary, 1851. 


Received  from  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt,  of 
New  York,  January  24,  1851. 

Received  from  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt,  of 
New  York,  January  24,  185 1 . I have 
had  a firm  tripod-stand  made  for  this 
instrument,  thus  making  it  useful  as 
a theodolite,  when  required. 

These  belong  to  the  northeastern  boun- 
dary, to  which  I am  responsible  for 
them.  I have  had  firm  tripod  stands 
made  for  them  both,  which  will  make 
them  available  and  useful  as  theodo- 
lites, when  required  to  be  used  as 
such. 

Made  by  my  special  order  for  this  service, 
by  Mr.  Wm.  Wiirdeman,  instrument 
maker,  Capitol  Hill,  Washington  city. 
It  has  a portable  tripod  stand,  and  the 
whole  is  packed  in  a case  about  three 
and  a quarter  feet  long,  and  will  con- 
stitute but  about  one-third  part  of  a load 
for  a mule.  It  weighs,  w hen  packed 
in  its  wooden  box,  and  that  placed 
within  a leather  pannier,  about  fifty-six 
to  sixty  pounds. 


Made  to  order  by  E.  Draper,  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  graduated  according  to 
the  United  States  standard  measure. 


S.  Doc.  121. 

STATEMENT— Continued. 


97 


Articles. 


Remarks. 


each,  to  be  used  with  the 
above  instrument.  These 
rods  can  be  detached  into 
two  equal  parts,  so  as  to 
reduce  them  to  a conve- 
nient length  lor  packing 
on  a mule. 

Eight  surveyor’s  compasses 
or  circumferenters ; six 
with  tripod  stands,  and 
two  with  single  staffs,  and 
ball  and  socket  motion. 

Two  prismatic  compasses, 
for  reconnoitring  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  boundary 
line. 


One  horse-shoe  magnet.  f 

Two  pairs  of  bar  magnets,  i 

Ten  surveyor’s  chains,  of 
fifty  feet  each,  with  iron 
marking-pins. 

Four  other  surveyor’s  chains, 
three  of  one  hundred  feet 
each,  and  one  of  fifty  feet, 
will*  iron  marking-pins. 

Three  syphon  barometers — 
their  scales  carefully  grad- 
uated by  United  States 
standard  measure. 

Four  standard  thermome- 
ters. 

Three  thermo -barometers, 
for  determining  the  cor- 
responding height  of  the 
barometric- mercurial  col- 
umn, by  observing  them 
when  their  bulbs  are  sub- 
jected to  water  at  the  boil- 
ing temperature. 

Two  aneroid  barometers. 

Four  portable  barometers 

7 


Made  to  my  order  for  this  service  in  Phil- 
adelphia and  New  York. 


Purchased  by  me  for  this  service.  Light 
jacob  staffs  have  been  made  for  them 
according  to  my  direction,  so  as  to  make 
them  available  for  surveying  purposes 
* if  emergency  should  require  it. 

Made  to  my  order  in  New  York.  To  be 
used  in  re-magnetizing  compass-nee- 
dles when  necessary. 

Made  to  my  order  for  this  service,  and 
adjusted  by  United  States  standard 
measure. 

Belonging  to  the  northeastern  boundary 
service,  to  which  I am  responsible  for 
them.  I have  taken  them  for  present 
use  under  the  emergency,  to  be  restored 
when  required. 

Made  to  my  order,  by  James  Green,  of 
New  York,  for  this  service. 


Made  to  my  order,  by  same,  for  this  ser- 
vice. 

Made  to  my  order  for  this  service  by  Mr. 
W.  Wiirdeman,  instrument  maker, 
Capitol  Hill,  Washington.  They  are 
very  portable,  and  safe  in  transporta- 
tion. 


Parchased  for  this  service  from  E.  & G. 

W.  Blunt,  New  York,  February,  1851. 
Received  from  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt,  of 


98 


S.  Doc.  121. 

STATEMENT— Continued. 


Articles. 


Remarks. 


on  Hassler’s  plan,  with 
their  cisterns.  The  cist- 
erns are  detached  from  the 
tubes  filled  with  mercury, 
when  being  transported, 
and  united  again  when 
required  for  observation. 
Their  numbers  are  5,  6, 
234,  and  235. 

One  tripod  to  nine  and  a half 
inch  azimuth  instrument, 
by  E.  Draper.  This  is 
taken  along  to  restore  it  to 
the  instrument  to  which  it 
belongs,  now  in  the  field 
with  the  commission. 

Four  standard  rods  of  five 
feet,  for  adjusting  chains. 

Three  cisterns,  belonging  to 
barometers,  by  Green, 
made  on  Hassler’s  princi- 
ple; Nos.  237,  238,  and 
J240.  These  are  taken 
.along  to  restore  them  to 
ithe  remaining  portion  of 
the  barometers  to  which 
they  belong,  now  in  the 
field  with  the  commission. 

Eight  ob serving-lanterns. 

One  keg  of  sperm  oil.  I 

Four  tin  cans  of  do.,  hold-  f 
ing  one  gallon  each.  J 

One  levelling  instrument  and 
tripod,  No.  95. 


New  York,  January  24,  1851,  as  men- 
tioned in  preceding  invoice  and  receipt. 
They  were  repaired  under  my  direc- 
tion by  James  Green,  of  New  York, 
and  are  now  in  good  order. 


Received  from  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt,  New 
York,  January  24,  1851.  (See  pre- 
ceding invoice  and  receipt.) 


Made  under  my  direction,  and  graduated 
by  the  United  States  standard  measure. 
Received  from  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt,  New 
York,  January  24,  1851,  as  per  pre- 
ceding invoice  and  receipt. 


F or  illuminating  the  astronomical  instru- 
ments at  the  observing  stations. 

This  belongs  to  the  northeastern  bound- 
ary service,  to  which  I am  responsible 
for  it.  I have  had  it  put  in  good  order 
for  use  on  the  Mexican  boundary  ser- 
vice. 


All  the  above  mentioned  instruments  are  packed  in  good  outer  boxes 
for  safe  transportation  by  land. 

So  soon  as  I can  collect  all  the  bills  for  the  work  which  has  been 
Rone  here  and  in  Philadelphia,  I shall  repair  by  land  via  Washington 


S.  Doc.  121. 


99 


to  New  Orleans,  and  sail  from  thence  by  steamer  to  Indianola,  where  I 
shall  probably  arrive  quite  as  soon  as  the  schooner  William  H.  Hazard. 
I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brevet  Lieut . Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps  U.  S.  B.  C . 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior . 


No.  48. 

Bureau  Topographical  Engineers, 

March  3,  1851. 

Sir  : Lieut.  W.  F.  Smith  and  Li^ut.  Michler,  of  Colonel  Johnston’s 
command  in  Texas,  have  been  directed  to  report  to  you  for  duty  in  El 
Paso.  Col.  Johnston  has  been  informed  that  you  would  probably  be 
at  San  Antonio  by  the  1st  of  April:  if  so,  those  officers  were  to  report 
to  you  at  that  place. 

Very  respectfully, 

J.  J.  ABERT, 

Colonel  Corps  Topographical  Engineers. 

Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Corps  T.  E.,  Washington • 


No.  49’ 

Washington,  March  4,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
yesterday,  informing  me  that  Lieuts.  W.  F.  Smith  and  Michler,  of  the 
corps  of  topographical  engineers,  have  been  directed  to  report  to  me 
for  duty  at  El  Paso.  I have  to  request  that  the  orders  to  those  officers 
may  be  so  modified  as  to  require  them  to  repair  to  Indianola,  Texas, 
and  report  to  me  there. 

I have  been  obliged,  since  I was  detailed  for  duty  on  the  commission 
for  marking  the  boundary  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  to 
have  a new  equipment  of  surveying  instruments  constructed,  in  the 
work-shops  of  the  best  makers  in  Washington,  Philadelphia  and  New 
York,  which  has  been  done  under  my  own  personal  direction  and  su- 
pervision. This  became  necessary  from  my  having  early  foreseen  that 
the  supply  for  the  surveying  department,  which  was  counted  upon 
from  the  collection  transported  two  years  ago  to  San  Diego,  on  the  Pa- 
cific end  of  the  line,  would  fail  to  be  available  for  the  operations  to  be 
resumed  at  El  Paso,  within  anything  like  a reasonable  time;  a fact 
which  has  been  verified  by  the  United  States  commissioner,  who  states 
under  date  of  the  30th  of  December  last,  at  El  Paso,  that  he  was  then 
destitute  of  surveying  instruments,  and  that  he  had  despatched  an 
agent  to  New  York  with  instructions  to  purchase  a supply. 

This  is  a thing  that  could  not  have  been  done,  for,  from  all  the  instru- 
ment making  establishments  in  our  country,  not  one-fifth  part  of  what 
was  required  could  have  been  found  ready  made,  and  for  sale,  of  a 


100 


S.  Doc.  121. 


quality  fit  to  be  used.  F our  months  at  least,  dating  from  the  present 
time,  would  have  been  required  to  complete  the  task.  Fortunately  this 
great  loss  of  time  has  been  prevented  by  the  measures  I adopted. 

My  new  apparatus  (with  the  exception  of  a few  articles  not  imme- 
diately required  and  which  will  follow  me)  is  finished,  packed,  and 
shipped,  and  is  now  on  its  way  by  sea  to  Indianola,  Matagorda  bay. 
It  is  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  me  in  its  safe  transportation  from 
thence  to  El  Paso,  that  I desire  to  have  the  services  of  the  two  officers 
who  have  been  detailed  as  my  assistants  on  this  duty. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Major  To]).  Engineers,  Brevet  Lieut . Col. 

Col.  J.  J.  Abert, 

Chief  Topographical  Engineers. 


No.  50. 


Bureau  Topographical  Engineers,  March  5,  1851. 


Sir  : Your  letter  of  the  4th  has  been  received.  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Johnston  will  be  required  to  order  those  officers  to  report  to  you  at  In- 
dianola, in  conformity  with  your  request. 

Respectfully, 

J.  J.  ABERT, 


Colonel  Corps  Topographical  Engineers . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham. 


No.  51. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

Washington,  March  6,  1851. 

Sir  : The  construction  of  a new  equipment  of  instruments  for  the 

surveying  department,  for  running  and  marking  the  line  of  boundary  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Mexico,  having  been  completed,  so  far  as 
to  satisfy  our  present  exigencies,  the  subject  of  next  importance,  which 
I beg  leave  to  present  for  your  consideration,  and  to  recommend  for 
adoption  under  the  orders  of  the  department,  is  a reorganization  of  the 
system  under  which  the  quartermasters  and  commissariat  departments 
of  the  work  shall  be  conducted. 

The  reduction  which  Congress  thought  proper  to  make,  in  its  session 
just  terminated,  in  the  estimates  sent  in  for  this  work,  for  the  fiscal  year 
which  will  commence  on  the  1st  of  July  next,  renders  it  absolutely  ne- 
cessary that  a system  insuring  the  most  watchful  economy,  as  well  as  a 
vigorous  efficiency,  should  be  introduced  into  these  two  branches  of  this 
service. 

With  this  view,  I respectfully  recommend  that  they  both  be  adminis- 
tered by  officers  of  the  army  possessing  the  requisite  experience  derived 
from  actual  service  performed  with  our  army  in  the  field,  provided  the 
honorable  the  Secretary  of  W ar  can  afford  this  aid  from  his  department. 

I have  already  consulted  the  General-in-chief  of  the  army  and  the 
Commissary  General  of  Subsistence  upon  this  subject,  and  from  the  very 


S.  Doc.  121. 


101 


liberal  and  favorable  view  they  have  been  pleased  to  take  of  it,  I am 
encouraged  to  request  that  application  may  be  made  to  the  War  De- 
partment for  the  detail  of  two  competent  officers,  from  the  line  of  the 
army,  to  perform  the  duties  of  quartermaster  and  commissary-in-chief 
to  the  scientific  corps  of  the  boundary  commission,  the  one  for  the  east- 
ern and  the  other  for  the  western  division  of ‘the  work. 

The  economy,  strict  accountability,  and  efficiency,  with  which  these 
two  departments  of  the  public  service  have  been  administered  for  many 
years  past  in  the  army,  render  it  exceedingly  desirable  that  they  should 
be  introduced  as  an  important  element  to  success  in  the  present  exten- 
sive and  difficult  undertaking. 

General  Gibson  has  assured  me  that  his  department  will  very  cheer- 
fully undertake,  under  the  system  proposed,  to  supply  to  these  officers 
any  quantity  of  provisions  that  may  be  required  for  this  service,  through- 
out its  whole  duration,  to  be  delivered  to  them  at  El  Paso,  or  at  any  of 
our  military  stations  upon  the  Rio  Grande,  to  be  paid  for  out  of  our  own 
appropriations,  at  the  same  cost,  including  that  of  transportation,  for 
which  they  are  or  may  be  supplied  to  the  army  at  those  stations. 

The  army  provisions  are  always  of  a quality  superior,  and  more  du- 
rable in  a warm  climate,  than  can  be  obtained  at  the  same  cost  under 
any  other  arrangement.  The  large  quantities  contracted  for  yearly,  the 
perfect  knowledge  possessed  of  the  relative  capabilities  for  supply 
throughout  every  quarter  of  our  country,  the  experience  in  inspecting 
and  packing  subsistence  stores  of  every  description,  which  are  all  pos- 
sessed in  so  eminent  a degree  by  our  military  commissariat,  are  well 
calculated  to  insure  to  it  these  advantages  in  a more  eminent  degree 
than  can  be  found  elsewhere. 

The  supply  of  our  western  division — extending  from  El  Paso  to  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Gila — with  subsistence,  will  be  attended  with  diffi- 
culties, which  can  only,  in  my  opinion,  be  surmounted  by  the  arrange- 
ment proposed,  enabling  us  at  the  same  time  to  progress  regularly  with 
the  scientific  department  of  the  work.  This  division  embraces  a desert 
country,  of  near  six  hundred  miles,  through  which  the  line  must  be  sur- 
veyed and  marked.  It  affords,  within  itself,  no  resources  from  which 
to  draw  subsistence.  Everything  must  be  transported  throughout  this 
whole  extent.  Under  the  proposed  system,  I feel  assured  that  depots 
of  provisions  may  be  formed  along  that  line,  and  pushed  forward  in  ad- 
vance as  the  wOrk  progresses,  in  a manner  that  will  prevent  many  em- 
barrassments not  otherwise  to  be  avoided,  and  that  will  insure  success 
to  that  difficult  part  of  the  work  before  us.  I know  of  no  other  system 
in  which  I can  feel  full  confidence. 

On  the  eastern  division,  difficulties  also  present  themselves,  which, 
although  not  so  great  as  on  the  western  division,  still  require  the  same 
system  to  be  adopted. 

Besides  the  duties  of  receiving,  issuing,  and  accounting  for  the  pro- 
visions, these  officers  would  be  charged  with  the  direction  and  general 
superintendence  of  all  transportation,  including  the  custody  of  all  bag- 
gage wagons,  horses,  mules,  oxen,  &c.,  employed  for  that  object,  and 
they  will  be  allowed,  at  the  expense  of  our  own  appropriation,  the  ne- 
cessary number  of  subordinate  assistants,  responsible  to  them,  directly, 
for  the  prompt  and  faithful  execution  of  all  orders  given  to  them. 


102 


S.  Doc.  121. 


So  far  as  I can  at  present  foresee,  it  is  my  opinion  that  this  system, 
if  adopted,  will  do  more  than  any  other  to  set  the  work  in  efficient 
operation,  and  to  coniine  its  expenses  for  the  fiscal  year  within  the  limits 
of  the  appropriation  recently  granted  by  Congress,  a condition  which 
should  in  no  event  be  transcended. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

X D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut,  Colonel , fife. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart,  / 

Secretary  of  the  Interior . 


No.  52. 


Washington,  March  7,  1851. 


Sir  : I have  the  pleasure  to  report  to  the  department  that,  on  the  3d 
of  the  present  month,  Lieutenants  W.  F.  Smith  and  Michler,  of  the  to- 
pographical engineers,  were  detailed  by  the  colonel  of  that  corps  for 
duty  under  my  orders,  and  directed  to  report  to  me,  at  Indianola,  for 
service  on  the  boundary  survey. 

Their  assistance  in  safely  transporting  the  instruments  from  Indianola 
to  El  Paso  will  be  very  valuable  to  me. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Colonel , fife. , fife. 


Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


No.  53. 


Bureau  Topographical  Engineers, 

March  11,  1851. 


Sir  : Your  orders  are  so  far  modified  that  you  will  report,  personally, 
without  delay,  to  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham,  corps  topographical  engineers, 
at  Washington. 

Respectfully, 

J.  J.  ABERT, 


Col.  Corps  Topographical  Engineers. 

Lieut.  W.  F.  Smith, 

Corps  Topographical  Engineers • 


No.  54. 

Fort  Adams,  R.  I.,  March  11,  1851. 

Dear  Sir  : Your  letter,  making  me  the  offer  of  a situation  on  the 
boundary  survey  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  reached  me 
to-day.  Nothing  would  give  me  greater  pleasure  than  to  accept  the 
situation  you  offer,  nor  could  the  inducements  mentioned  suit  my  in- 
clinations more  perfectly ; but  having  recently  accepted  the  situation  I 


S.  Doc.  121. 


103 


now  hold  here,  and  entered  into  arrangements  for  the  ensuing  summer, 
which  I cannot  very  well  change,  I am  obliged  to  decline  the  offer, 
thanking  you  most  sincerely  for  the  very  flattering  manner  in  which  you 
have  conveyed  it. 

I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  F.  REYNOLDS, 

Brevet  Major  3d  Artillery . 

To  Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Corps  of  Top . Engineers , Washington  City . 


No.  55. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior . 

Washington,  March  12,  1851. 

Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  present  herewith,  to  the  department,  a 
statement  of  my  expenditures  on  account  of  the  equipment  that  was 
necessary  for  the  use  of  the  scientific  corps  of  the  commission  for  run- 
ning and  marking  the  boundary  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico. 

This  includes  the  purchase  of  a new  outfit  of  instruments— chiefly 
made  under  my  immediate  supervision  and  direction  since  I was  de- 
tailed for  duty  on  this  service — a measure  that  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary before  the  commission  could  go  into  active  operation,  owing,  as 
heretofore  stated,  to  the  fact  that  the  great  body  of  the  instruments  for 
surveying  purposes,  furnished  two  }rears  ago  for  this  object,  was  left 
at  San  Diego,  on  the  Pacific. 

I am  anxiously  awaiting  the  detail  of  the  officers  last  applied  for,  in 
order  to  proceed  with  them  to  the  field.  At  the  Adjutant  General’s 
office  every  effort  is  now  being  made  to  select  them  so  as  not  to  inter- 
fere with  the  requirements  of  the  military  garrisons — a condition  that 
must  be  kept  in  view.  I submit  also  a statement  of  the  additional 
funds  required  for  my  own  immediate  department;  and  I have  to 
state,  in  submitting  it,  that  it  is  all  I shall  require  for  it  from  this  time 
to  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year,  which  will  terminate  the  30th  of  June, 
1852.  Being  responsible  for  the  efficiency  of  the  equipment  in  instru- 
ments, under  every  emergency  that  can  occur  throughout  a long  and 
difficult  line,  I have  formed  my  estimate  with  the  closest  economy  that 
will  enable  me  to  meet  that  responsibility. 

I find,  on  inquiry  at  the  Adjutant  General’s  office,  that  the  demands 
on  the  military  garrison  at  San  Antonio — in  furnishing  escorts  for  the 
large  trains  belonging  to  the  army,  in  keeping  up  scouting  parties 
against  the  hostile  Indians  for  the  protection  of  the  neighboring  settle- 
ments, and  for  keeping  the  garrison  itself  in  proper  force — are  so  great 
that  a special  escort  cannot  be  ordered  for  me,  to  enable  me  to  proceed 
rapidly  from  San  Antonio  to  El  Paso.  To  go  with  one  of  the  heavy 
trains  would  occupy  sixty  days  between  San  Antonio  and  El  Paso. 
It  appears  to  me  very  important  that  I should  be  enabled  to  perform 
that  journey  in  half  that  time,  with  all  the  instruments  requisite  to  set 


104 


S.  Doc.  I2I. 


the  surveying  parties  in  active  operation  so  soon  as  I arrive  at  El  Pa  so. 
I accordingly  embrace  in  my  estimate  the  expense  necessaiy  to  equip 
an  escort  of  twenty  men,  including  the  officers  and  members  of  the 
scientific  corps,  who  will  be  of  my  party. 

The  arms  estimated  for  are  in  addition  to  two  Sharp’s  rifles,  three 
double-barrelled  guns,  four  Colt’s  pistols,  and  four  small  belt-pistols 
already  procured  and  paid  for,  as  shown  in  the  account  rendered  to 
the  office  of  the  F ifth  Auditor. 

These  are  all,  in  my  opinion,  necessary  for  distribution,  under  cer- 
tain emergencies,  among  the  members  of  the  surveying  parties,  for 
self-protection  against  the  hostile  savages  of  the  country.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  estimate  will  be  about  balanced  by  the  gain  of  time  in 
the  active  operation  of  the  commission  in  prosecuting  the  surveys. 

The  great  advantages  to  be  gained  by  it  will  be  in  effecting  the  reor- 
ganization at  an  earlier  period,  and  in  enabling  us  to  proceed  with  the 
field  duties  at  the  season  which  affords  abundant  grass  for  the  ani- 
mals. 

The  statements  and  estimates  are  embraced  in  the  accompanying 
papers,  marked  A and  B. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps,  Sfc.,  fyc. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior,  fyc.,  fyc.,  fyc. 


A — (Appended  to  No.  55.) 

A statement  showing  amount  oj  moneys  received  and  expended  by  Lieutenant 
Colonel  J.  D.  Graham,  head  of  scientific  corps,  life.,  on  account  of  the 
Mexican  boundary  commission. 

1850,  November  15.  Received  amount  of  treasury  war- 
rant No.  2035 $7,500  00 

1851,  January  11.  Received  amount  of  treasury  warrant 

No.  2224 2,500  00 


10,000  00 


Accounted  for. 

Amount  of  vouchers  rendered  to  office  of  the  Fifth  Audi- 


tor, February  28,  1851 $4,633  11 

E.  & G.  W.  Blunt’s  bill  for  instruments  made,  repairs, 

&c.,  rendered 1,444  81 

E.  Draper’s  bill  for  instruments,  &c.,  made 769  50 

Gideon  & Co.’s  bill 492  00 

James  Green’s  bill  for  instruments 4 242  00 

Wm.  Bond  & Son’s  bill  for  chronometers,  and  repairs..  331  67 


S.  Doc.  121. 


105 


Barrow  & Jones’s  bill  for  instruments $450  00 

Wiirdeman’s  bill  for  instruments  and  repairs 590  00 

D.  Campbell’s  bill  for  panniers,  &c 165  00 

Lutz’s  bill  for  do 120  00 

Paid  freight  from  New  York  to  Indianola 100  00 

Simms’s  bill,  London,  for  one  transit  and  four  theodolites, 
small,  and  two  sextants,  (estimated,)  payable  on  ar- 
rival in  Boston 1,720  00 


11,058  09 

Amount  received  as  above 10,000  00 


Required  to  meet  above  accounts 1,058  09 


J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Liet,  Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps,  fyc.,  fyc. 


B — (Appended  to  No.  55.) 

Estimate  of  funds  required  by  head  of  the  scientific  corps  for  the  following 

objects,  viz: 


1.  For  balance,  as  per  footing  of  paper  A $1,058  09 

2.  For  two  ambulances,  with  springs,  for  the  transporta- 

tion of  chronometers  and  instruments  immediately 
required,  with  harness  included,  at  $200  each 400  00 

3.  For  five  light  wagons,  with  four-horse  harness,  at  $160 

each,  with  covers 640  00 

4.  Twenty-eight  wagon-mules,  or  horses,  at  $100  each..  2,800  00 

5.  Twenty  horses,  with  equipments,  for  mounting  escort, 

at  $120  each 2,400  00 

6. ®F orage  for  forty-eight  horses,  for  thirty  days,  at  $12 

each  per  month 576  00 

7.  Hire  of  seven  teamsters,  for  theJrip  from  San  Antonio 

to  Ef  Paso  and  back,  at  $50*ach 350  00 

8.  Hire  of  eleven  men  for  escort,  at  same  rate 550  00 

9.  Purchase  of  fifteen  Sharp’s  rifles,  at  $45 675  00 

10.  Purchase  of  sixteen  Colt’s  pistols,  at  $32 512  00 

11.  Accoutrements  and  ammunition 200  00 

12.  Subsistence  of  twenty-seven  men  (including  the  team- 

sters) thirty  days,  fifty  cents  each  per  day 288  00 

13.  Transportation  to  Indianola,  and  other  contingencies 

not  to  be  accurately  foreseen  up  to  El  Paso 500  00 


Amount  required 10,949  09 


106 


S.  Doc.  121 


I certify  the  above  to  be  a true  and  correct  estimate,  to  the  best  of 
my  belief  and  judgment. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Col .,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps , <Jr.,  fyc. 

N.  B. — No  answer  to  the  foregoing  letter  or  estimate  was  ever  re- 
ceived by  me. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM. 


No.  56. 

Draught  of  a letter  sent , or  to  he  sent. , to  such  officers  as  were  named  at  the  Ad- 
jutant GeneraVs  Office  for  Quartermaster  and  Commissary  of  the  Boundary 
Commission . 


Washington,  March  19,  1851. 

Sir:  It  has  been  decided  here  that  the  quartermaster  and  commis- 
sariat departments  of  the  commission  for  marking  the  boundary  between 
the  United  States  and  Mexico,  under  the  treaty  of  1848,  shall  be  filled 
by  the  detail  of  two  officers  from  the  army.  One  will  perform  the  duty 
for  the  eastern,  and  the  other  for  the  western  division  of  the  line,  the 
point  of  division  being  at  El  Paso  del  Norte,  on  the  Rio  Grande. 

Each  officer  will  perform,  for  the  division  to  which  he  may  be  at- 
tached, the  duty  of  quartermaster  and  commissary-in-chief,  and  will 
have  the  direction,  under  my  orders,  of  the  purchase  and  transportation 
of  the  provisions  and  other  necessary  supplies  for  the  commission  in  the 
field. 

An  arrangement  has  been  made  with  the  Commissary  General  of  Sub- 
sistence, by  which  he  will  undertake  to  furnish  the  two  officers  in  ques- 
tion with  all  the  provisions  (similar  to  those  issued  to  the  troops)  that 
may  be  indicated  by  previous  requisition  at  El  Paso,  or  at  any  of  our 
military  stations  on  the  Rio  Grande,  at  the  army  contact  price,  with  the 
actual  cost  of  transportation  added  thereto,  to  be  paid  for  out  of  our  ♦m 
appropriation  for  this  service.  From  these  points  the  distribution  must 
be  made  by  ourselves,  and  intermediate  depots  must  be  formed  as  may 
be  required.  Besides  these  measrPres,  each  officer  will  be  actively  em- 
ployed in  making  himself  acquainted  with  the  resources  of  the  adjacent 
country,  so  as  to  make  them  available  for  subsistence  and  forage  when- 
ever that  mode  shall  prove  more  economical  than  by  transporting  from 
the  depots. 

The  duty  will  be  an  active  and  responsible  one,  embracing  that  also 
of  the  disbursements  for  those  two  departments,  and  accounting  to  the 
treasury  in  the  mode  usual  with  army  disbursements. 

These  officers  will  be  mounted  at  the  expense  of  the  commission,  and 
their  actual  subsistence  will  also  be  furnished  at  the  expense  of  the 
commission.  I presume,  also,  that  the  additional  compensation  allowed 
on  such  duty  in  garrison  will  also  be  allowed  here. 

Your  name  has  been  mentioned,  among  several  others,  for  this  ser- 
vice, and  I have  thought  it  best  to  address  you  in  order  to  know  if  such 


S.  Doc.  121.  107 

a situation  would  be  acceptable  to  you.  If  so,  you  will  be  detailed  for 
it  immediately. 

Please  answer  me  immediately,  as  I must  complete  every  important 
arrangement  here  (including  this  one)  before  I depart,  myself,  for  the 
boundary. 

If  you  can  telegraph  me  here  immediately,  with  your  acceptance  or 
non-acceptance,  I will  thank  you  to  do  so. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Major  Top.  Engineers , Bvt.  Lieut.  Colonel. 


No.  57. 

Fort  Monroe,  Old  Point  Comfort,  Va., 

March  22,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  just  received  your  letter  of  the  19th  instant.  The  posi- 
tion of  quartermaster  and  commissary-in-chief  to  the  commission  is  not 
one  that  I desire.  If  I were  disposed  to  accept  such  a situation,  it  wTould 
give  me  pleasure  to  serve  under  your  orders. 

With  my  thanks  for  this  mark  of  your  confidence,  believe  me  to  be, 
with  much  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

HENRY  J.  HUNT, 

Brevet  Major  U.  S.  A. 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Topographical  Engineers. 

Note. — This  letter  reached  Washington  March  27th,  after  my  de- 
parture from  that  city. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM. 


No.  58. 

Washington,  March  28,  1851. 

My  Dear  Colonel:  Knowing  that  you  had  written  to  M;?jor  Hunt 
at  Old  Point  Comfort,  I ventured  to  open  this,  to  give  Captain  Town- 
send the  information  he  required  in  selecting  officers  for  you. 

Yours,  very  truly, 

GEORGE  THOM, 

Lieut.  Topographical  Engineers. 


No.  59. 

Indianola,  Texas,  April  20,  1851. 
Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  report  to  the  department  my  arrival  here- 
yesterday,  by  the  steamer  Galveston,  from  New  Orleans,  with  a val- 


108 


S.  Doc.  121. 


liable  portion  of  the  astronomical  and  surveying  apparatus  procured  in 
New  York  and  Washington,  and  which  required  adjustments  and  some 
necessary  repairs,  after  the  sailing  of  the  schooner  W.  H.  Hazard, 
from  New  York,  in  February  last.  These  have  all  arrived,  and  have 
been  landed  here  in  perfect  order. 

I found  here  my  clerk,  in  charge  of  the  small  party  and  the  instru- 
ments which  were  despatched  from  New  York  by  the  Hazard.  On 
the  arrival  of  that  vessel,  the  instruments  brought  by  her  were  all 
safely  landed,  in  a lighter,  and  were  stored  in  the  government  store- 
house, by  the  consent  of  the  United  States  quartermaster  stationed 
here. 

All  the  instruments  and  provisions  for  my  party  will  be  despatched 
forthwith  by  wagons  to  San  Antonio,  where  they  will  arrive  in  good 
time  to  go,  under  my  own  supervision,  by  the  first  military  escort  and 
government  train  that  will  have  left  that  place  for  El  Paso  del  Norte 
since  I was  detailed  for  this  boundary  service. 

In  the  latter  part  of  December  last,  Lieutenant  J.  G.  Strain,  of  the 
navy,  was  directed  by  the  department  to  turn  over  to  me  four  boats 
and  their  appurtenances,  which  had  been  constructed  under  his  direc- 
tion, for  the  boundary  service.  In  January  last,  while  I was  superin- 
tending, in  New  York,  the  construction  of  the  surveying  instruments  for 
this  survey,  I received  from  that  officer  the  within  papers  relating  to 
these  boats.  Being  at  the  moment  confined  to  my  bed  by  illness,  I di- 
rected Lieutenant  Thom,  of  the  topographical  engineers,  one  of  my 
assistants  for  the  northeastern  boundary  service,  and  my  clerk,  Mr. 
John  Lawson,  to  go  to  the  Brooklyn  navy  yard,  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
specting these  boats  and  reporting  to  me  their  condition,  dimensions, 
&c.  It  appears,  from  their  report  to  me,  that  the  four  boats  are  all  con- 
structed of  galvanized  iron ; that  they  are  each  thirty  ^et  long,  five  and 
a half  feet  wide,  and  one  foot  nine  inches  deep  from  the  gunwale  to  the 
keel;  and  that  each  boat  is  provided  with  eight  oars,  fifteen  feet  long, 
an  awning  with  stanchions,  a rudder  and  yoke,  and  a warp.  There 
are  two  anchors  for  the  four  boats.  These  boats  weigh  over  half  a ton 
each,  exclusive  of  the  appurtenances.  They  are  built  in  five  sections 
each,  and  the  parts  riveted  together,  the  object  being  to  afford  facilities 
for  separating  them  into  as  many  parts,  when  required  to  be  transported 
overland. 

I consider  these  boats  altogether  unsuitable  for  any  service  connected 
with  this  boundary  survey.  They  are  too  large  and  too  heavy,  even 
for  the  survey  of  the  lower  Rio  Grande,  and  require  too  many  men  to 
man  them. 

While  in  New  York  I made  every  inquiry  in  my  power,  with  a view, 
under  the  approbation  of  the  department,  of  effecting  an  exchange  of 
these  boats  for  others  more  suitable  to  this  service ; but  was  unsuccess- 
ful. I requested  Messrs.  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt  to  make  further  inquiries 
upon  the  subject,  and  to  report  to  me  the  result.  Up  to  the  time  I last 
heard  from  them  it  does  not  appear  that  they  had  been  able  to  effect 
the  object. 

I now  respectfully  recommend  to  the  department  that  a suitable 
agent  be  employed  in  New  York  to  seek  the  earliest  opportunity  to  dis- 
pose of  these  boats  and  their  equipments,  in  such  manner  as  to  prevent 


S.  Doc.  121. 


109 


too  great  a sacrifice  on  their  cost,  (of  which  I am  uninformed,)  and 
that  the  proceeds  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  boundary  survey.  It 
is  my  opinion  that  this  will  be  the  most  profitable  manner  of  disposing 
of  them.  The  boats  that  may  be  necessary  for  the  lower  Rio  Grande 
can  be  readily  procured,  when  required,  either  at  Galveston  or  New 
Orleans.  For  the  upper  Rio  Grande  and  the  Gila,  canoes  and  light 
gum-elastic  boats  will  be  the  best. 

I herewith  enclose  to  the  department  Lieutenant  Strain’s  letter  to  me 
of  January  21,  and  the  papers  that  accompanied  it,  containing  a de- 
scription of  all  the  articles  pertaining  to  these  boats. 

Early  in  March  last,  Mr.  S.  P.  Sanford,  then  in  Washington,  was 
directed  by  the  department  to  turn  over  to  me,  on  my  arrival  at  New 
Orleans,  certain  boxes  reported  to  contain  the  surveying  instruments 
belonging  to  the  commission,  which  were  unintentionally  left  there 
when  the  commission  proceeded  on  for  El  Paso  del  Norte  in  August  last. 

On  my  arrival  at  New  Orleans,  I received  from  Mr.  Sanford  the 
accompanying  order  marked  A,  addressed  to  Mr.  James  R.  Jennings, 
agent  for  the  United  States  Mail  Steamship  Company,  for  the  delivery 
to  me  of  the  boxes  in  question. 

When  I called  on  Mr.  Jennings  he  showed  me  the  boxes.  From 
their  outward  appearance,  I judged  that  only  one  of  the  ten  mentioned 
in  the  order  contained  instruments.  Under  the  circumstances,  I thought 
a board,  of  survey  was  necessary  to  open  these  boxes,  and  report  upon 
their  contents,  before  I should  take  possession  of  them. 

Accordingly,  I applied  to  Major  General  Twiggs,  commanding  the 
western  division  of  ijie  army,  who  ordered  a board  for  the  purpose, 
consisting  of  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  W.  W.  S.  Bliss,  Assistant 
Adjutant  General,  and  Brevet  Captain  J.  M.  Brannan,  adjutant  1st 
artillery,  who  immediately  proceeded,  in  presence  of  myself  and  one 
of  Mr.  Jennings’s  clerks,  who  pointed  out  the  boxes,  to  perform  this 
duty. 

The  order  constituting  the  board,  and  their  report,  are  hereto  ap- 
pended, being  contained  in  paper  marked  B,  by  which  it  will  appear 
that  out  of  the  ten  boxes,  eight  of  them  contained  rifle-bullets,  one  of 
them  contained  twenty  percussion  rifles,  and  the  remaining  one  con- 
tained a portion  only  (namely,  the  stand  and  upright  columns)  of  an 
astronomical  transit.  I took  possession  of  this  last  only,  and  have  it 
here  with  the  other  instruments. 

Although  I made,  personally,  every  possible  search  and  inquiry  in 
my  power  in  New  Orleans  to  find  the  remainder  of  this  valuable  in- 
strument, (namely,  the  axis  and  telescope,  the  levels,  eye-lenses  and 
micrometer,)  which  are  packed  in  another  box,  I was  unsuccessful. 
I made  similar  search  at  Galveston,  and  have  done  the  same  here,  but 
with  no  better  success.  I shall  continue  the  search  at  San  Antonio, 
and  on  the  route  from  thence  to  El  Paso  del  Norte. 

This  is  the  largest  and  one  of  the  most  valuable  astronomical  instru- 
ments belonging  to  the  survey,  and  I had  intended  it  should  be  left  here, 
so  as  to  be  in  convenient  position  for  transportation  to  the  lower  Rio 
Grande,  where  it  will  be  needed,  and  where  it  will  have  the  benefit  of 
water  transportation.  It  was  made  in  the  year  1844,  under  my  special 
directions,  by  Troughton  and  Simms,  of  London,  for  use  on  the  north- 


110 


S.  Doc.  121. 


eastern  boundary,  and  is  the  instrument  with  which  the  latitude  from 
observations  of  stars  on  the  prime- vertical,  and  the  longitude  from 
observed  meridian  transits  of  th<?  moon’s  bright  limb,  and  the  moon 
culminating  stars — of  the  military  position  of  Rouse’s  Point — were  deter- 
mined in  1845.  It  is  the  instrument  with  which  the  first  determination 
of  latitude  was  ever  made  in  America,  I believe,  by  observing  the 
transits  of  stars  over  the  prime-vertical.  By  a series  of  such  observa- 
tions made  in  December,  1844,  with  it,  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Bond,  director 
of  the  Cambridge  observatory,  Massachusetts,  and  myself,  the  lati- 
tude of  that  observatory  was  determined  in  a few  nights,  and  was 
reported  in  the  Transactions  of  the  American  Academy  of  Sciences  of 
the  succeeding  year.  Its  loss  would  prove  very  inconvenient  to  the 
commission. 

I find  stored  here  under  a shed,  much  exposed  to  the  weather, 
some  seventy  or  more  barrels  of  pilot-bread,  belonging  to  the  commis- 
sion, which  have  been  here  since  August  last.  I shall  have  it  inspected, 
and  if  fit  to  be  sent  forward  to  El  Paso,  I shall  assume  the  responsi- 
bility of  having  it  done,  trusting  that  this  course  will  be  approved  by 
the  department.  It  does  not  seem  to  be  under  the  charge  of  any 
agent  of  the  commission  here. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps , fyc.,  fyc.,  fyc. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  Department  of  the  Interior . 


A — (Appended  to  No.  59.) 


New  Orleans,  March  29,  1851. 


Dear  Sir  : You  will  please  deliver  to  Colonel  Graham,  or  his  order, 
nine  boxes,  delivered  at  this  port  by  the  steamship  F alcon,  which  are 
marked  for  United  States  Mexican  boundary  commission;  also,  one 
box  addressed  to  Lieutenant  Whipple,  of  the  same  company  or  com- 
mission, as  per  order,  addressed  to  me  by  the  Hon.  John  R.  Bartlett, 
commissioner  for  the  said  boundary  commission,  dated  at  El  Paso  del 
Norte,  30th  December,  1850,  deposited  with  you. 

Yours  respectfully, 

S.  P.  SANFORD. 


James  R.  Jennings, 

Agent  U.  S.  Mail  Steamship  Company , New  Orleans . 


B — (Appended  to  No.  59.) 

Proceedings  of  a Board  of  Officers  which  assembled  at  New  Orleans , La., 
pursuant  to  the  following  orders: 

[Special  Orders  No.  19.] 

At  the  request  of  Brevet  Lt.  Col.  Graham,  topographical  engineers, 
a board  of  officers  will  assemble  at  the  quartermaster’s  office,  at  eleven 


S.  Doc.  121.  Ill 

o’clock  this  morning,  to  examine  certain  boxes  pertaining  to  the  Mexi- 
can boundary  commission,  and  report  upon  their  contents. 

Detail  for  the  Board. 

Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  W.  W.  S.  Bliss,  Assistant  Adjutant  General. 
Brevet  Capt.  J.  M.  Brannan,  adjutant  1st  artillery. 

By  order  of  Major  General  Twiggs : 

W.  W.  S.  BLISS, 

Assistant  Adft  Gen'l. 

Headquarters  Western  Division, 

New  Orleans , La.,  April  12,  1851. 


New  Orleans,  La.,  April  12,  1851. 

The  board  met  pursuant  to  the  above  orders.  Present  all  the  mem- 
bers. 

The  board  examined  certain  boxes  pertaining  to  the  Mexican  bound- 
ary commission,  and  found  their  contents  as  follows : 

Box  583.  Oifh  transit  stand,  marked  “Lieut.  Whipple,  U.  S.  Mexi- 
can boundary  commission.”  The  telescope,  axis,  and  micrometer 
lenses,  (said  to  be  packed  in  another  box,)  could  not  be  found. 

Box  2.  Twenty  percussion  rifles,  marked  “U.  S.  Mexican  boundary 
commission.” 

*6  boxes.  In  each  are  seven  tin  canisters  of  rifle-balls,  marked  “U. 
S.  Mexican  boundary  commission.” 

Boxes  8 and  9.  Rifle-balls,  marked  “U.  S.  Mexican  boundary  com- 
mission.” 

Box  583  was  taken  possession  of  by  Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  Graham, 
topographical  engineers.  The  remaining  boxes  were  turned  over  to 
the  agent,  for  transportation  to  Indianola,  Texas. 

There  being  no  further  business  before  the  board,  it  adjourned  sine 
die. 

W.  W.  S.  BLISS, 

Ass't  Adft  General,  Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  U.  S.  A. 

J.  M.  BRANNAN, 

Brevet  Capt.  U.  8.  A. 


No.  60. 


Indianola,  April  26,  1851. 

Sir  : The  pilot-bread  belonging  to  the  boundary  commission,  men- 
tioned in  my  letter  to  you  of  the  20th  inst.,  having  been  represented  to 
me  as  too  much  damaged  by  exposure  to  the  weather  while  lying 
here  under  a shed  since  August  last,  to  be  sent  forward  for  use,  I or- 
dered a board  of  survey  upon  it,  and  upon  eight  boxes  of  hospital 


*Note — There  are  seven  tin  canisters  of  rifle -balls  in  each  of  these  six  boxes,  making  forty- 
two  canisters  in  all.  J.  D.  G. 


112 


S.  Doc.  121. 


stores,  chemicals,  natural  history  appurtenances,  &c.,  which  were  found 
deposited  under  the  same  shed,  and  marked  as  the  property  of  the 
boundary  commission. 

The  order  in  the  case,  and  the  proceedings  and  opinion  of  the  board, 
are  hereto  annexed,  marked  C.  In  pursuance  of  that  opinion  the  bread 
was  this  day  sold  at  public  auction,  under  an  order  from  me  to  that 
effect,  due  notice  having  been  previously  given,  by  public  handbills 


posted  through  this  village. 

The  gross  amount  of  sales  was $94  35 

Auctioneer’s  commission  (5  per  ct.)  off. 4 70 


Net  proceeds  of  sale 89  65 


The  above  net  amount  of  eighty-nine  dollars  and  sixty-five  cents  has 
been  paid  to  me  by  the  auctioneer,  and,  in  the  absence  of  a commis- 
sary, I have  charged  myself  with  it  by  placing  it  to  the  credit  of  the 
boundary  survey,  in  my  accounts  rendered  to  the  Fifth  Auditor  of  the 
Treasury,  with  the  bill  of  sale  annexed  thereto. 

All  the  other  articles  mentioned  in  the  report  of  the  board  of  survey 
will  be  sent  forward  to  El  Paso. 

Up  to  this  moment  no  officers  have  reported  to  me,*and  I have  been 
compelled  to  continue  the  very  arduous  duty  of  attending  personally 
and  alone  to  superintending  every  detail  connected  with  the  service  I 
was  appointed  to  direct. 

I trust  that  the  organization  of  the  quartermaster’s  and  commissariat 
departments,  which  I recommended  in  my  letter  of  the  6th  ultimo, 
at  Washington,  will  be  carried  into  effect.  I can  assure  the  depart- 
ment that  the  state  of  the  service  requires  it.  Upon  a survey  like  this, 
considering  the  extent  of  desert  country  it  has  to  traverse,  as  much 
care  is  required  in  organizing  these  departments,  and  as  much  experi- 
ence is  requisite  for  its  incumbents,  as  though  they  were  connected 
with  the  operations  of  troops  in  time  of  war. 

My  wagons  left  here,  with  the  instruments  and  a portion  of  the  pro- 
visions for  my  small  party  destined  to  El  Paso,  on  the  morning  of  the 
25th  instant. 

I shall  overtake  them,  and  shall  reach  San  Antonio  before  them, 
and  we  shall  be  in  ample  time  for  the  military  escort  from  thence  to 
El  Paso. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps,  fife.,  fife.,  fife . 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


C — (Appended  to  No.  60.) 

[Orders  No.  1.]  Indianola,  Texas, 

April  23,  1851. 

A board  of  survey,  to  consist  of  Messrs.  J.  H.  Clark  and  J.  W.  Bald- 
win, attached  to  the  United  States  boundary  survey,  will  make  a sur- 


S.  Doc.  121. 


113 


vey  and  inspection  of  seventy-five  barrels  of  pilot  bread  and  three 
half-barrels  of  crackers,  which  were  left  here  in  August,  1850,  by  the 
commission  ; and  on  seven  boxes  of  chemicals,  hospital  stores,  and  nat- 
ural-history appurtenances,  belongingto  the  said  boundary  commission, 
which  arrived  here  in  November,  1850,  in  the  steamer  Palmetto,  from 
New  Orleans  ; and  on  one  other  box,  belonging  to  the  said  commission, 
which  arrived  here,  by  the  steamer  Galveston,  the  26th  of  December, 
1850. 

The  board  will  report  upon  the  present  condition  of  all  the  above 
articles,  and  state  their  opinion  whether  they  are  now  fit  to  be  sent 
forward  to  El  Paso  del  Norte,  for  the  use  of  the  said  boundary  com- 
mission. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps,  U.  S.  B.  C. 


Indianola,  Texas,  April  23,  1851. 

We,  the  undersigned,  in  pursuance  of  the  above  order,  proceeded, 
this  day,  to  make  a survey  and  inspection  of  the  articles  above  speci- 
fied. We  found  deposited  under  a shed,  which  leaks  from  above,  and 
which  is  open  to  the  south,  and  exposed  to  the  rains  from  that  quarter, 
seventy-five  barrels  of  pilot  bread,  two  half-barrels  of  soda  crackers, 
and  one  half-barrel  of  butter  crackers,  which  it  appears  were  left  here 
by  the  boundary  commission,  in  August,  1850  ; and  eight  boxes,  seven 
of  which  arrived  here,  in  the  steamer  Palmetto,  the  4th  of  November, 
1850,  and  one  of  which  arrived  here,  in  the  steamer  Galveston,  the 
26th  of  December,  1850,  we  are  informed. 

Their  condition  is  at  present  as  follows : 


Articles. 


Condition. 


75  barrels  of  pilot  bread 

2 half-barrels  of  soda  crackers 

1 half-barrel  of  butter  crackers 

Box  No.  1,  (weight  144  lbs.,)  containing 
2 packages  of  wrapping  paper,  marked 
“ Mexican  boundary  commission,”  pro- 
bably intended  for  botanical  specimens; 
2 large  portfolios  filled  with  brown 
paper,  for  ditto ; 1 tin  box. 

Box  No.  2,  (weight  251  lbs.,)  containing 
1 package  of  wrapping  paper  ; 2 pack- 
ages of  light  brown  paper  ; 1 package 
of  red  paper  ; 1 Indian-rubber  bag  ; 3 
pieces  of  oilcloth. 

Box  No.  3,  (weight  113  lbs.,)  containing 
6 tin  cans  of  alcohol ; 1 can  of  Goad- 
by’s  solution ; 1 can  of  oil ; 2 cans  of 


Damaged,  and  not  fit  for  use. 
Partially  damaged. 
Damaged,  and  not  fit  for  use. 
In  good  condition,  and  fit  to 
be  sent  to  El  Paso  del 
Norte. 


In  good  order,  and  fit  to  be 
sent  to  Paso  del  Norte. 


All  in  good  order,  (except 
one  box  of  jelly,  which 
was  broken,  and  there- 


8 


114 


S.  Doc.  121. 

STATEMENT— Continued. 


Articles. 


Condition. 


camphor ; 6 bottles,  three  of  which  are 
marked  port  and  three  brandy  ; 2 small 
bottles,  one  containing  arsenic,  the 
other  not  labelled  ; 1 piece  of  glue  ; 1 
bar  of  pewter  ; 1 box  of  Dyer’s  healing 
embrocation ; 1 box  of  cocoa  paste  ; 1 
box  of  summer-sa,vory ; 1 box  of  sage, 
pulverized ; 2 boxes  of  ground  pump- 
kin, for  pies ; 2 small  empty  tin  boxes ; 
2 boxes  of  jelly,  one  broken ; 1 box 
of  sweet  maijoram;  2 glass  jars  of 
peaches ; 1 box  of  sulph.  ammonia  ; 1 
glass  jar  filled  with  cigars ; 1 box  of 
sardines ; 2 empty  bottles  ; 1 gauging 
glass ; 1 package  of  tin  and  copper 
wire  ; 3 earthen  jars  filled  with  a solu- 
tion, which  smells  strongly  of  cam- 
phor ; 1 glass  jar  of  isinglass  ; 1 cup  of 
sealing-wax. 

Box  No.  4,  (weight  84  lbs.,)  containing  2 
tin  cases,  each  of  which  contains  six 
drawers ; these  drawers  are  inlaid  with 
cork,  probably  for  pinning  insects. 

Box  No.  5,  (weight  22  lbs.,)  containing  1 
bottle  of  oil  of  lemon  ; 4 bottles  of  tinc- 
ture of  ginger ; 1 can  of  citric  acid. 

Box  No.  6,  (weight  73  lbs.,)  containing  2 
tea  boxes,  each  filled  with  arrow-root. 

Box  No.  7,  (weight  222  lbs.,)  containing 
1 tin  case  hermetically  sealed.  This 
case  was  not  opened,  and  conse- 
quently its  contents  are  unknown.* 

Box  No.  8,  (weight  180  lbs.,)  containing 
a chest  of  chemicals,  and  implements 
for  chemical  tests. 


fore  thrown  out,)  and  fit 
to  be  sent  to  Paso  del 
Norte. 


In  good  order,  and  fit  to  be 
sent  to  Paso  del  Norte. 


In  good  order,  and  fit  to  be 
sent  to  Paso  del  Norte. 

One  in  good  order,  the  oth- 
er damaged,  but  fit  to  be 
sent  to  Paso  del  Norte. 

Apparently  in  good  order, 
and  fit  to  be  sent  to  Paso 
del  Norte. 

Three  vials  of  salts,  broken, 
and  contents  lost.  From 
many  of  the  vials  and  jars 
the  acids  and  salts  had 
evaporated  or  leaked,  so 
as  to  injure  the  padding 
of  the  interior  of  the  lid, 
and  the  coverings  of  the 
stoppers.  It  is  now  fit  to 
be  sent  to  Paso  del  Norte. 


Afterwards  it  was  understood  it  contained  stationery,  for  the  official  records  of  the  commission. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


115 


It  is  our  opinion  that  the  seventy-five  barrels  of  pilot  bread,  and  the 
half-barrel  of  butter  crackers,  had  better  be  sold  at  public  auction,  and 
the  proceeds  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  boundary  fund. 

JOHN  H.  CLARK, 

JAMES  W.  BALDWIN. 


No.  61. 

Indianola,  Texas,  April  29,  1S51. 
Sir  : I herewith  enclose  you  a statement  of  my  accounts  for  disburse- 
ments on  account  of  the  surveys  under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe 
Hidalgo,  with  abstract  A,  account-current,  and  vouchers  from  No.  1 
to  No.  93,  for  auditing  and  settling. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brevet  Lieut . Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps . 
Hon.  Stephen  Pleasonton, 

Fifth  Auditor  of  the  Treasury , Washington . 


No.  62. 


(Copy  for  Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham.) 


Adjutant  General’s  Office, 

Washingtqp , April  29,  1S51. 

Sir:  The  Secretary  of  War  directs  that  Lieutenants  W.  F.  Smith 
and  Michler,  topographical  engingeers,  be  ordered  to  report  to  Brevet 
Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham,  for  duty  on  the  boundary  survey. 
Should  it  be  the  mutual  desire  of  Lieutenants  Smith  and  Bryan  to  ex- 
change duties,  the  Secretary  authorizes  the  exchange,  so  that  the  former 
may  remain  in  the  8th  military  department,  and  the  latter  report  to 
Lieut.  Colonel  Graham. 

I am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

L.  THOMAS, 


Commanding  Officer, 

8th  Military  Department , San  Antonio , Texas . 


Assistant  Adjutant  General. 


True  copy. 


Headquarters  Sth  Military  Department, 

San  Antonio , May  18,  1851. 


GEO.  DEAS, 
Assistant  Adjutant  General. 


No.  63. 

Indianola,  Texas,  April  30,  1851. 
Sir:  Understanding  that  you  are  expected  here  by  the  next  steamer 
from  New  Orleans  to  report  to  me  for  duty,  I have  to  request  that  you 


116 


S.  Doc.  121. 


will,  on  your  arrival  here,  repair  to  San  Antonio  with  all  practicable 
despatch,  in  order  to  be  in  time  to  join  me  there  before  the  departure 
of  the  military  escort  from  thence  to  El  Paso  del  Norte. 

Should  Brevet  Major  Rains  and  Lieutenant  Burnside  be  with  you, 
please  communicate  the  same  request  to  them,  or  to  any  other  officer 
who  may  be  detailed  for  the  Mexican  boundary  service. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Major  Top . Engineers , Brevet  Lieut . Colonel . 

Lieut.  W.  F.  Smith, 

Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers* 


No.  64. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior . 

San  Antonio,  Texas, 

May  10,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  I arrived  here  on  the  5tb 
instant,  with  my  party  and  all  the  instruments,  destined  for  El  Paso 
del  Norte  for  the  boundary  survey,  in  good  order.  A few  of  the  larger 
ones,  intended  to  be  used  hereafter  for  the  survey  of  the  lower  Rio 
Grande,  were  left  at  Indianola,  to  be  taken  to  that  part  of  the  line  at  a 
future  time. 

Those  I have  brought  forward,  and  the  provisions  for  my  party, 
were  transported  fr#m  Indianola  to  this  place  by  the  quartermaster's 
department  at  the  usual  rate  of  charge. 

Finding  that  a single  wagon,  which  I was  authorized  to  call  on  the 
quartermaster’s  department  for,  was  insufficient  for  the  transportation 
of  these  articles  from  this  place  to  El  Paso,  owing  to  the  small  size  of 
the  wagon  bodies  used  here,  I made  a requisition  for  five  wagons  and 
teams  instead  of  one,  for  I found  that  number  indispensably  necessary. 
Under  the  emergency  of  the  case,  this  requisition  was  approved  by 
General  Harney,  commanding  the  8th  military  department,  and  they 
were  issued  to  me. 

Captain  S.  G.  French,  of  the  quartermaster’s  department,  com- 
mander of  the  train  destined  to  El  Paso,  for  the  transportation  of  army 
supplies,  was  still  here  when  I arrived,  and  did  not  leave  until  the  7th, 
intending  to  organize  his  train  at  Leona  for  the  line  of  march,  which 
would  require  several  days. 

My  wagons  were  carefully  packed  with  the  instruments  and  pro- 
visions with  all  despatch,  and  they  proceeded  early  this  morning  to 
join  the  train  of  Captain  French  at  Leona. 

In  addition  to  the  accommodation  furnished  by  Major  Babbitt,  the 
chief  quartermaster  at  this  station,  I was  obliged  to  purchase  sixteen 
mules  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  two  light  spring-wagons  loaded  with 
the  more  delicate  instruments,  and  for  mounting  my  party.  The  quar- 
termaster could  spare  me  only  ten,  which  I bought  at  the  average  origi- 
nal cost.  The  remaining  six  were  purchased  in  the  market  here.  With 
these  and  a portion  of  my  party,  (who  did  not  accompany  the  wagons,) 


S.  Doc.  121. 


117 


1 shall  proceed  on  to  join  the  train  at  Leona,  as  soon  as  I can  complete 
the  papers  necessary  to  a settlement  with  Major  Babbitt. 

For  these  necessary  equipments  for  the  journey  and  for  future  service, 
and  for  the  provisions  furnished  by  the  subsistence  department  here,  I 
have  drawn  on  the  Department  of  the  Interior  at  Washington,  payable 
on  the  1st  of  July  next,  and  I request  that  my  drafts  may  be  honored 
at  maturity,  as  follows,  viz: 

1.  My  draft  in  favor  of  the  quartermaster’s  department  at 
Washington,  for  services,  as  shown  by  accompanying 

paper  marked  D $2,861  60 

2.  My  draft  in  favor  of  same  for  the  purchase  of  mules, 
harness,  and  other  articles  enumerated  in  accompanying 

paper  marked  E 1,174  72 

3.  My  draft  in  favor  of  J.  R.  Sweet  & Co.,  for  purchase  of 

five  mules,  as  shown  by  accompanying  paper  marked  F.  400  00 

4.  My  draft  in  favor  of  the  subsistence  department  at  Wash- 
ington for  provisions  furnished,  as  shown  by  accompany- 


ing paper  marked  G 117  76 

Total — 4,554  08 


I was  not  able  to  obtain  transportation  for  all  the  boxes  of  chemicals 
■and  natural  history  appurtenances  found  at  Indianola,  which  I stated  in 
my  letter  to  the  department,  of  the  26th  ultimo,  I would  forward  to  El 
Paso.  Nos.  3,  5,  and  6,  mentioned  therein,  containing  hospital  stores, 
have  been  sent  forward,  as  they  weigh  altogether  only  208  pounds. 
Nos.  1,  2,  4,  7,  and  8,  weigh  altogether  881  pounds,  which  is  more  than 
one-third  of  a load  for  a wagon,  such  as  are  used  here.  Their  contents 
are  not  absolutely  applicable  to  the  service,  though  they  would  aid  in 
very  interesting  investigations  in  natural  history.  , 

On  my  arrival  here,  I found  that  die  order  of  detail,  directing  Lieu- 
tenant Michler  to  report  to  me,  had  not  been  served  on  him,  owing  to 
•some  irregularity,  as  viewed  by  the  commanding  general  of  the  eighth 
military  department,  in  the  mode  of  issuing  it. 

He  could  not,  however,  have  joined  me,  owing  to  ill  health,  and  has 
gone  north  on  a sick  leave.  It  would  be  a great  aid  to  this  survey  if 
two  graduates  from  the  Military  Academy,  of  next  month,  could  be  ob- 
tained as  assistants  and  ordered  out,  by  way  of  Independence  and  Santa 
F e,  to  report  to  me. 

I trust,  sir,  the  fiscal  arrangements  which  I have  reported  above,  and 
which  I was  compelled  to  make,  will  meet  the  approbation  of  the  de- 
partment. They  belong  properly  to  the  quartermaster’s  and  commis- 
sary’s department  of  the  commission,  but  I have  been  obliged  tempo- 
rarily to  assume  them,  in  the  absence  of  officers  for  those  branches. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  sir,  your  most  obedient  ser- 
vant, 

* J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieutenant  Colonel,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps, 

United  States  Boundary  Commission . 

Hon.  Auex.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior , tifc.9  fyc.,  Washington. . 


118 


S.  Doc.  121. 


P.  S. — Since  closing  the  above  communication,  Lieutenant  Smith 
topographical  engineers,  and  Mr.  Radziminski,  one  of  my  assistants  in 
the  Northeastern  Boundary  office,  have  arrived  and  reported  to  me. 

They  inform  me  that  Mr.  Gray  and  Lieutenants  Tillinghast  and  Burn- 
side, of  the  artillery,  are  about  a day’s  travel  only  from  this  place,  on 
their  way  to  report  to  me,  and  that  they  will  require  facilities  for  trans- 
portation, &c.  Under  these  circumstances,  I have  thought  it  proper  to 
await  their  arrival,  otherwise  they  might  not  be  able  to  go  forward 
promptly;  and  that  would  be  a great  embarrassment  to  the  service,  for 
I have  felt  the  necessity  of  their  services. 

Very  respectfully, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 


Lieutenant  Colonel , <5fc.,  <|*c- 


D — (Appended  to  No.  64.) 

The  United  States  Mexican  Boundary  Commission  in  account-current  zcith 
the  U.  S,  Quartermaster's  department . 


Dr. 

1851,  May  9. — For  services  of  five  six-mule  teams  with  wa- 
gons, in  transporting  instruments,  provisions,  and  other 
public  supplies  appertaining  to  the  Mexican  boundary  sur- 
vey, 100  days  from  9th  May,  1851,  (estimated  time  neces- 
sary for  the  whole  trip  to  and  from)  at  $5  50  per  day  for 
each  wagon,  which  is  to  include  the  cost  of  such  forage 
as  may  be  used  at  the  ends  of  the  route  for  a portion  of 
the  100  days,  and  also  pay  of  teamsters  and  subsistence,  $2,750  OO 
For  transportation  of  7,440  pounds  of  same  stores  from  In- 
dianola  to  San  Antonio,  between  the  25th  April  and  Sth 
May,  1851,  at  $1  50  per  100  pounds Ill  60 

2,861  60 


Cr. 

1851,  May  9. — By  draft,  as  follows : “ The  honorable  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior  is  respectfully  requested  to  cause  this 
amount  to  be  transferred  at  Washington  to  the  quarter- 
master’s department,  from  the  appropriation  for  the  Mexi- 
can boundary  survey  for  the  fiscal  year  commencing 
1st  July,  1851” $2,861  60 

%J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Co/.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps , U.  S.  B.  C. 

E.  B.  BABBITT, 

Brevet  Major  and  A.  Q.  Af* 


S.  Doc.  121. 

E — (Appended  to  No.  64.) 


119 


The  United  States  Mexican  Boundary  Survey , bought  of  the  U.  S.  Quar- 


termaster's department : 

1851. 

May  9. — 8 mules,  at  $90  each $720  00 

2 mules,  at  $55  each _ 110  00 

8 sets  horse  harness,  at  $12  each 96  00 

18  pounds  horse-shoe  nails,  at  30  cents  per  lb.  — 5 40 

350  mule  shoes,  at  12J  cents  each 18  75 

500  grain  sacks,  at  25  cents  each 122  50 

100  feet  pine  boards,  at  $25  per  m 2 50 

2 bottles  Bartine’s  lotion,  at  $1  each 2 00 

2 bottles  opodeldoc,  at  25  cents  each 50 

2 bottles  Venice  turpentine,  at  50  cents  each. ...  1 00 

1 pound  calomel,  at  $2  50 2 50 

5 pounds  Castile  soap,  at  37  J cents  per  lb 1 87 

1 small  bottle  laudanum,  at  $1 1 00 

2 bottles  oil  of  spike,  at  50  cents  each 1 00 

2 bottles  British  oil,  at  37  J cents  each 75 

290  pounds  halter  rope,  at  18  cents  per  lb 48  20 

1 jack  screw,  at  $8  50 8 50 

5 water  kegs  with  bails,  at  $2  25  each 11  25 

2 bottles  horse  liniment,  at  $1  each 2 00 

1 riding  bridle,  at  $1  50 1 50 

4 large  saddle  blankets,  at  $2  50  each 10  00 

5 swingle-trees,  extra,  at  $1  50  each 7 50 


1,174  72 


San  Antonio,  May  10,  1851. 

I certifyrthat  the”above  account  is  correct  and  just;  that  the  articles 
enumerated  above  have  been  received  by  me  for  the  service  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  boundary  survey,  under  my  charge ; and  the  Hon.  Alex.  H. 
H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  is  respectfully  requested  to  cause 
the  amount,  eleven  hundred  and  seventy  four  dollars  and  seventy-two  cents , to 
be  transferred  at  Washington  to  the  credit  of  the  United  States  quarter- 
master’s department,  out  of  the  appropriation  for  the  survey,  for  the  fis- 
cal year  commencing  1st  July,  1851. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brevet  Lieut . Colonel , Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps, 

U.  S.  Boundary  Commission, 

A true  copy : 

John  Lawson,  Secretary,  fyc.,  fc. 


F — (Appended  to  No.  64.) 

Copy:  the  original  has  been  rendered  with  my  accounts, to  the  Fifth 
Auditor  of  the  Treasury  at  Washington. 


J.  D.  G. 


120 


S.  Doc.  121. 


The  U.  S.  Boundary  Commission, 

To  James  R.  Sweet  & Co^.  Dr. 
May  10,  1851. — To  the  purchase  of  five  mules,  a $80 $400  CO 


Received,  San  Antonio,  May  10,  1851,  of  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham, 
head  of  the  scientific  corps,  his  draft  on  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior  for  four  hundred  dollars,  in  payment  of  the  above  account* 

JAS.  R.  SWEET  & CO. 


I certify  that  the  above  account  is  correct  and  Just;  that  the  mules 
have  been  delivered  to  me  in  good  order,  and  that  they  were  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  public  service. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps,  U.  S.  B.  C. 

A true  copy:  • 

J.  Lawson,  Secretary,,  Sfc.,  fyc. 


G — (Appended  to  No*  64.) 

Invoice  of  subsistence  stores  this  day  delivered  over  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  J. 
D.  Graham,  head  of  the  scientific  corps  of  the  United  States  and  Mexican 
boundary  commission,  as  follows,  vizi 


250  pounds  bacon,  at  9 cents  per  pound $22  50' 

1 barrel  pork,  at  $15  per  barrel 15  00 

798  pounds  bread,  at  7 cents  per  pound 55  86 

1 bushel  beans,  at  $2  56  per  bushel 2 56 

48  pounds  coffee,  at  15  cents  per  pound 7 20 

96  pounds  sugar,  at  9 J cents  per  pound 9 12 

10  gallons  of  vinegar,  at  28  cents  per  gallon 2 80 

32  pounds  soap,  at8j  cents  per  pound 2 72 


(Signed  in  duplicate.)  117  76 


L.  B.  WOOD, 

First  Lieut.  8th  Infantry % and  Brevet  Captain  D.  C.  jSL 
Subsistence  Depot, 

San  Antonio , Texas,  May  10, 1851. 


San  Antonio,  May  10,  1851. 

I have  received  from  Captain  L.  B.  Wood,  department  commissary  of 
subsistence  at  San  Antonio,  the  above  provisions  for  the  use  of  the  par- 
ty under  my  command,  engaged  for  the  survey  of  the  boundary  line 
betweeQ  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  the  same  being  absolutely  ne- 


S.  Doc.  121.  121 

cessary  for  the  said  party,  as  will  appear  by  my  account  rendered  to 
the  Fifth  Auditor  of  the  Treasury  at  Washington. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Colonel , Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps. 


No.  65. 

San  Antonio,  Texas,  May  10,  1851. 

Sir  : You  are  hereby  appointed  an  assistant  computer  to  the  head  of 
the  scientific  corps,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  for  the  demarca- 
tion of  the  boundary,  under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  with  a 
compensation  of  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  and  one  ration  per 
day. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Colonel , Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps . 

Charles  Wright,  Esq. 


No.  66. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

San  Antonio,  Texas,  May  12,  1851. 

Sir:  Since  my  communication  to  you  of  the  10th  instant,  A.  B. 
Gray,  esq.,  surveyor  to  the  boundary  commission  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States,  and  Lieutenants  O.  H.  Tillinghast  and  A.  E.  Burnside, 
of  the  artillery,  have  arrived  here,  and  reported  to  me.  I regret  to  say 
that  Mr.  Gray’s  health  is  still  delicate ; but  the  army  physician  here 
thinks  it  will  be  improved  by  the  bracing  air  of  the  more  elevated 
country  between  this  and  El  Paso.  He  will  accordingly  proceed  on ; 
and  I hope  he  will  soon  be  sufficiently  recovered  to  take  an  active  part 
in  the  work  on  the  line. 

Lieutenants  Tillinghast  and  Burnside  will  be  very  valuable  adjuncts 
•to  the  boundary  service,  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  quartermas- 
ters and  commissaries  in  chief,  to  which  they  have  been  assigned  by 
the  department.  Their  arrival  relieves  me  from  the  labor  of  many 
arduous  duties,  which  I have  been  performing,  belonging  properly  to 
their  departments ; and  I now  shall  be  enabled  to  give  my  attention 
more  particularly  to  making  observations  on  the  route  to  El  Paso  del 
Norte,  than  has  heretofore  been  the  case. 

I have  lost  no  time  in  assigning  these  officers  to  their  appropriate 
duties,  as  specified  in  Order  No.  4,  a copy  of  which  is  appended,  mark- 
ed H,  which  I hope  will  meet  the  approval  of  the  department.  I 
think  the  system  will  bring  the  fiscal  department  of  the  commission  to 
the  most  simple  and  convenient  form  for  insuring  an  economical  dis- 
bursement, and  a prompt  accountability  in  regard  to  the  appropriations, 
and  for  keeping  the  commission  and  the  department  at  Washington 
constantly  informed  of  the  state  of  the  boundary  fund. 

I feel  well  assured  that  these  duties  will  be  faithfully  and  ably  ad- 
ministered by  Lieutenants  Tillinghast  and  Burnside.  They  must  ne- 
cessarily be  of  an  arduous,  as  they  are  of  a highly  responsible  nature. 


122 


S.  Doc.  121. 


In  consideration  of  this,  I respectfully  recommend  that  these  officers 
be  put  upon  the  same  footing  in  regard  to  compensation  as  officers 
acting  as  assistant  quartermasters  and  assistant  commissaries  in  the 
army,  which  would  entitle  them  to  receive  from  the  boundary  appro- 
priation fourteen  dollars  per  month,  each,  in  addition  to  their  pay  in 
the  line ; and  also  that  they  be  allowed  the  same  per  diem  commutation 
for  their  personal  expenses,  while  on  this  service,  as  may  be  allowed 
to  officers  of  topographical  engineers  of  the  same  grade,  while  serving 
on  this  duty. 

Understanding  there  were  several  boxes  here,  left  in  the  storehouse 
of  Major  Capers  when  the  boundary  party  passed  on  to  El  Paso,  last 
autumn,  marked  as  the  property  of  the  commission,  I directed  a sur- 
vey upon  them  by  a board  composed  of  Lieutenant  Smith,  of  the 
topographical  engineers,  and  Lieutenant  Burnside,  3d  artillery. 

The  order  in  the  case,  and  the  report  of  the  board,  are  hereto  append- 
ed, marked  I,  by  which  it  appears  there  were  five  boxes,  one  of  which 
contained  sixty-seven  mule-hobbles,  and  four  other  boxes,  containing, 
in  all,  fifty  pack-saddles.  I directed  Lieutenant  Burnside  to  receipt 
to  Major  Capers  for  the  sixty-seven  mule-hobbles,  and  for  two  boxes  of 
pack-saddles — twenty-seven  in  number.  These  have  been  sent  for- 
ward to  El  Paso.  The  two  remaining  boxes,  containing  twenty-three 
pack-saddles,  are  still  left  here  in  charge  of  Major  Capers,  as  I could 
not  obtain  transportation  for  them. 

Mr.  W.  T.  Smith  is  here,  en  route  for  El  Paso,  in  charge  of  a train 
of  about  twenty-seven  wagons  of  ten  mules  each,  and  will  depart  in 
a few  days.  I shall  join  this  train  with  my  party  and  continue  with 
it  until  we  overtake  Captain  French,  United  States  army,  which  we 
shall  probably  do  before  he  reaches  the  Pecos  river.  My  party  will 
be  chiefly  on  horseback,  and  our  wagons  still  to  go  on  being  light,  and 
Mr.  Smith’s  wagons  being  drawn  each  by  ten  mules,  will  enable  us 
easily  to  do  so. 

Mr.  Smith  is  the  partner  of  Don  Juan  Maria  Ponce  de  Leon  in  a 
contract*  with  Mr.  Bartlett,  entered  into  in  February  last  at  El  Paso, 
to  transport  provisions,  &c.,  to  that  place  for  the  commission.  His* 
train  is  now  laden  with  these  articles.  Knowing  that  among  them  was 
the  box  containing  twenty  percussion  rifles  belonging  to  the  commis- 
sion, which  was  inspected  at  New  Orleans  the  J2th  of  April,  a part 
of  which  I required  to  arm  my  party,  I ordered  a board  of  officers, 
consisting  of  Lieutenants  Tillinghast  and  Burnside,  to  have  it  opened 
and  to  take  from  it  ten  of  the  rifles,  for  the  above  mentioned  purpose. 
The  proceedings  in  the  case  are  shown  by  the  accompanying  paper 
marked  J.  The  ten  rifles  taken  out  for  the  use  of  my  party  on  the 
route  were  receipted  for  by  Lieutenant  Burnside,  who  will  take  them 
up  in  his  returns,  and  account  for  them  as  for  other  property  of  the 
commission. 

I herewith  transmit  two  requisitions  marked  K and  L,  one  from  Lieut. 
Tillinghast  and  the  other  from  Lieut.  Burnside,  quartermasters  and 
commissaries  in  chief  for  the  two  proposed  divisions  in  the  work,  for 
funds  to  the  amount  of  ten  thousand  dollars  each,  and  for  authority,  in 


See  Appendix,  No.  79. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


123 


addition,  to  draw,  from  the  military  commissariat  at  El  Paso,  or  any 
other  station  near  the  Rio  Grande,  or  any  other  part  of  the  line  where 
there  may  be  military  stations,  subsistence  stores  to  the  amount  of  five 
thousand  dollars  each,  should  it  be  found  necessary ; to  be  settled  at 
Washington  upon  the  rendering  of  the  proper  vouchers,  by  a transfer 
of  the  cost  of  the  provisions,  with  that  of  transportation  added,  from 
the  appropriation  for  the  boundary  survey  to  that  for  the  subsistence  de- 
partment of  the  army,  for  the  fiscal  year  beginning  the  1st  of  July  next. 

These  amounts  are  proposed  now  in  consequence  of  the  time  that 
must  be  lost  in  communicating  between  El  Paso  and  Washington,  if 
smaller  and  consequently  more  frequent  requisitions  should  be  made. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Col . and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps . 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior , Washington . 


H — (Appended  to  No.  6G.) 

[Orders  No.  4.]  San  Antonio,  Texas,  May  12,  1851. 

First  Lieut.  Otis  H.  Tillinghast,  of  the  1st  regiment  of  artillery,  and 
Second  Lieut.  Ambrose  E.  Burnside,  of  the  3d  regiment  of  artillery, 
having,  under  the  orders  of  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
reported  themselves  in  person  at  this  place  for  duty,  as  quartermasters 
and  commissaries  in  chief  to  the  scientific  corps  attached  to  the  com- 
mission, on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  for  surveying  and  marking 
the  boundary  under  the  5th  article  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo, 
they  will  immediately  enter  upon  the  discharge  of  those  duties.  After 
reaching  El  Paso  del  Norte  they  will  be  assigned,  each,  as  quartermas- 
ter and  commissary  in  chief,  the  one  for  the  eastern  and  the  other  for 
the  western  division  of  the  work,  as  will  hereafter  be  designated. 

These  officers  are  charged  with  all  disbursements  for  the  commis- 
sion appertaining  to  the  above  named  departments,  with  the  purchase, 
custody,  accountability  and  issue,  under  specific  requisitions  duly  ap- 
proved, of  all  public  property  belonging  to  the  commission,  including 
wagons,  ambulances,  horses,  mules,  oxen,  and  equipments,  and  with 
all  transportation;  of  all  tents  arid  other  camp  equipage  of  every  de- 
scription, and  with  the  purchase,  accountability,  and  issue  under  re- 
quisitions duly  approved,  of  all  subsistence  stores;  and  with  the  pay- 
ment of  all  surveyors  and  employes  attached  to  the  commission,  in 
conformity  with  such  schedule  of  pay  as  may  be  furnished  them  by 
the  commissioner  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps. 

In  order  to  the  earliest  practicable  preparation  for  entering  upon  the 
discharge  of  these  duties,  they  will  immediately  make  out  and  submit 
for  approval,  specific  requisitions  for  funds  in  advance,  to  be  submitted 
to  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  at  Washington,  to  be 
drawn  from  the  appropriation  for  the  fiscal  year  beginning  the  1st  of 
July  next. 

In  regard  to  subsistence  stores,  an  arrangement  has  been  made  with 
the  Commissary  General  of  Subsistence  at  Washington,  with  the  ap- 


124 


S.  Doc.  121. 


proval  of  the  honorable  the  Secretaries  of  War  and  of  the  Interior,  by 
which  these  officers  may  be  furnished  with  provisions  from  the  military 
commissariat  at  El  Paso  del  Norte,  or  at  any  of  our  military  stations 
upon  or  near  the  Rio  Grande,  at  the  actual  cost  to  that  department, 
including  that  of  transportation,  to  be  paid  for  out  of  the  appropriations 
for  the  boundary  survey.  They  will,  therefore,  keep  the  Commissary 
General  at  Washington  informed,  in  advance,  of  the  quantity  they  may 
require,  from  time  to  time,  as  the  work  progresses.  An  important  duty 
devolving  upon  these  officers  will  be  to  keep  themselves  well  informed 
of  the  resources  of  the  surrounding  country,  and  the  prices  of  subsist- 
ence of  all  kinds  grown  therein,  in  order  that  whenever  a supply  of  any 
of  these  articles  can  be  obtained  cheaper  by  drawing  them  from  the 
country  than  in  any  other  manner,  it  may  be  availed  of. 

So  soon  as  these  officers  are  placed  in  possession  of  the  quartermas- 
ter’s property  and  the  subsistence  belonging  to  the  commission,  they  will 
make  out  returns  of  the  same,  showing  the  description,  quantity,  and 
quality  of  every  kind.  These  will  be  transmitted,  in  duplicate,  to  the 
Department  of  the  Interior,  one  to  be  kept  on  the  files  of  that  depart- 
ment, and  the  other  to  be  handed  over  to  the  Comptroller  charged  with 
the  settlement  of  the  accounts  of  the  commission. 

After  this  initiative  step,  they  will  make  out  and  render  quarterly — 
that  is  to  say,  on  the  last  days  of  the  months  of  March,  June,  Septem- 
ber and  December — full  returns  of  all  public  property,  showing  the  quan- 
tity of  each  article  on  hand  at  the  end  of  the  previous  quarter,  the 
quantity  issued  or  expended  during  the  quarter,  and  the  quantity  re- 
maining on  hand  at  its  termination.  These  returns  will  be  forwarded 
to  the  Department  of  the  Interior  in  duplicate,  one  to  be  retained  on  the 
files  of  the  department,  and  the  other  to  be  handed  over  to  the  Comp- 
troller of  accounts  as  above  specified.  They  will  also  render  their 
accounts  of  disbursements  at  the  end  of  each  quarter,  supported  by 
vouchers,  to  the  Fifth  Auditor  of  the  Treasury  at  Washington.  Their 
abstracts  and  accounts-current  will,  in  every  case,  be  made  in  dupli- 
cate, one  of  each  to  accompany  their  vouchers  sent  to  the  Fifth  Auditor, 
and  the  remaining  ones  to  be  transmitted  directly  to  the  Department  of 
the  Interior  for  its  files. 

In  this  way  the  department  will  constantly  have  within  its  convenient 
reach  full  information  as  to  the  disbursements,  and  the  state  of  the  funds 
appropriated  for  the  survey. 

In  regard  to  the  accounts  and  the  forms  of  the  quarterly  returns  of 
property  and  subsistence,  and  of  accounts  of  disbursements,  those  laid 
down  in  the  printed  army  regulations  for  the  quartermaster’s  and  sub- 
sistence departments  of  the  army  are  adopted  for  the  boundary  service. 

Spirituous  liquors  will  not  be  included  as  a part  of  the  subsistence 
stores.  Its  purchase  or  transportation  will  not  be  allowed  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  commission,  except  such  small  quantities  of  wine  or  spirits 
as  may  be  considered  by  the  surgeon  as  absolutely  necessary  for  med- 
ical purposes.  It  will  then  be  purchased  only  on  a special  requisition, 
duly  approved  and  only  issued  on  the  surgeon’s  order. 

j:  d.  graham, 

Lieut.  Colonel , Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps , 

United  States  Boundary  Commission . 


S.  Doc.  121. 


125 


I — (Appended  lo  No.  66.) 

Proceedings  of  a board  of  survey , convened  at  San  Antonio  de  Bexar , Texas , 
May  12,  by  virtue  of  the  following  order , viz : 

[Order  No.  3.  ] 

Several  boxes,  marked  as  the  property  of  the  United  States  boundary 
commission,  having  been  left  here  last  autumn  by  the  commission,  in 
the  temporary  charge  of  Major  Capers,  a board  of  survey,  to  consist  of 
Lieutenant  W.  F.  Smith,  topographical  engineers,  and  Lieutenant  A. 
E.  Burnside,  3d  artillery,  is  hereby  appointed  to  examine  these  boxes 
and  report  in  writing  upon  their  contents  and  the  condition  of  the  articles. 
The  object  of  the  examination  is  to  ascertain  if  it  be  expedient  to  order 
these  articles  forward  to  El  Paso  del  Norte. 

The  board  will  proceed  immediately  to  make  the  examination,  and 
will  render  a report  in  writing. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Bvevet  Lieut.  Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps, 

United  States  Boundary  Commission . 

San  Antonio,  May  12,  1851. 


San  Antonio,  May  12,  1851. 

The  board  met  pursuant  to  the  above  order — present  all  the  members ; 
and  after  careful  examination,  report : 

That  they  found  one  small  box  containing  sixty-seven  “ mule-hobbles,” 
which  are  serviceable  but  not  of  a good  kind ; four  boxes  containing 
“pack-saddles,”  one  with  ten  not  in  good  order,  but  serviceable ; two 
with  thirteen  each,  and  one  with  fourteen,  in  pretty  good  order,  making 
in  all  fifty  saddles.  The  board  is  of  opinion  that  they  are  of  a very 
good  pattern,  and  recommend  that  both  saddles  and  hobbles  be  turned 
over  to  the  person  in  charge  of  the  “ commission  train,”  now  at  this 
place,  for  transportation  to  El  Paso. 

W.  F.  SMITH, 

Lieutenant  Topographical  Engineers. 

A.  E.  BURNSIDE, 

Lieutenant  and  Recorder. 


J — (Appended  to  No.  66.) 

[Special  Orders  No.  5.]  San  Antonio,  May  12,  1851. 

A portion  of  the  arms  belonging  to  the  United  States  boundary  com- 
mission now  in  the  custody  of  Mr.  William  T.  Smith  for  transportation  to 
El  Paso  del  Norte,  being  necessary  for  the  members  of  the  scientific 
corps  attached  to  the  commission  now  on  their  way  to  El  Paso,  for 
purposes  of  defence  against  the  Indians,  Mr.  Smith  is  authorized  to 
deliver  to  Lieutenants  O.  H.  Tillinghast  and  A.  E.  Burnside,  quarter- 
masters and  commissaries  to  the  commission,  ten  percussion  rifles, 


126 


S,  Doc.  121. 


two  bullet-moulds,  one  lock-screw,  one  screw-driver,  and  one  box  of 
rifle-balls,  for  which  Lieutenant  Burnside  will  receipt  to  Mr.  Smith, 
and  be  accountable  as  quartermaster. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

BvU  Lt.  Col .,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps  U*  S,  B.  C. 


San  Antonio,  May  12,  1851. 

In  accordance  with  the  above  order,  we  have  examined  the  rifles  and 
other  articles,  and  find  them  new  and  in  good  order. 

O.  H.  TILLINGHAST, 

Lieut . 1$£  Artillery , Quartermaster  and  Commissary , U.  S.  B.  C. 

A.  E.  BURNSIDE, 

Lieut . 3d  Artillery , Quartermaster  and  Commissary  U.  S.  B.  C. 


I have  receipted  to  Mr.  Smith  for  the  foregoing  articles,  and  now  bear 
them  upon  my  return. 

A.  E.  BURNSIDE, 

Lieut . 3d  Ait illery,  Quartermaster  and  Commissary . 


K — (Appended  to  No.  66.) 

Requisition  for  funds  and  supplies  for  the  use  of  the  United  States  and  Mex- 
ican boundary  commission , for  the  fiscal  year  commencing  on  the  1st  of  July , 

1851. 


For  funds  to  be  disbursed  in  the  quartermaster’s  and  com- 
missary’s departments $10,000  00 

Authority,  by  the  approbation  of  the  honorable  the  Secre- 
tary of  W ar,  to  draw  upon  the  army  subsistence  depart- 
ment, at  the  most  convenient  depot,  to  be  settled  on  ren- 
dering the  proper  vouchers,  by  a transfer,  at  Washington, 
of  the  amount  from  the  boundary  appropriation  to  that  of 
the  subsistence  department,  to  the  amount  of 5,000  00 


Total 


15,000  00 


Respectfully  submitted  to  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

O.  H.  TILLINGHAST, 

First  Lieut » Artillery,  Quartermaster  and  Commissary . 

San  Antonio,  May  12,  1851. 


Approved  i 


J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Col* , Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps . 


S.  Doc.  121 


127 


This  requisition  (marked  L)  is  precisely  similar  to  that  one  signed  by 
Lieutenant  Tillinghast,  and  asks  for  the  same  amount  of  money  to  be  ap- 
plied for  the  same  objects,  and  is  signed  by  Lieutenant  A.  E.  Burnside, 
3d  artillery,  and  approved  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham,  &c,, 
&c.,  &c. 


No.  67. 

Lieutenant  Tillinghast  to  Colonel  Graham . 

San  Antonio,  Texas,  May  12,  1851. 

Sir  : In  obedience  to  an  order  from  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  dated  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  April  11,  1851, 1 have  the  honor  to 
report  to  you  for  duty  upon  the  United  States  and  Mexican  boundary 
commission.  I have  received  no  instructions  from  the  honorable  the 
Secretary,  but  understood  from  him  that  you  had  authority  to  put  me 
upon  quartermaster’s  and  commissary’s  duty  with  the  commission. 

I am  sir,  very  respectfully,  &c.,  &c., 

O.  H.  TILLINGHAST, 

First  Lieutenant  1st  Artillery . 

Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

V.  S.  Top.  Eng.,  Chief  of  Scientific  Corps  of  B.  C. 


No.  68. 


Lieutenant  Burnside  to  Colonel  Graham « 

San  Antonio,  Texas,  May  12,  1851. 

Colonel:  In  pursuance  to  an  order  from  the  office  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior,  dated  March,  1851,  I have  the  honor  to  report  to 
you  for  duty  on  the  boundary  survey. 

I was  informed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  that  I Was  de- 
tailed in  accordance  with  a recommendation  from  you,  and  that  you 
would  have  full  authority  to  place  me  upon  the  duty  for  which  I was 
applied  and  detailed. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  Colonel,  very  respectfully,  vour  ob’t  serv’t, 

.A.  E.  BURNSIDE, 

Lieutenant  3d  Artillery • 

Colonel  J.  D.  Graham, 

Head  of  Scientific  Corps,  U.  S*  B.  C* 


128 


& Doc.  121. 

No.  69. 


Castroville,  Texas,  May  19,  1851. 

Sir:  At  the  moment  of  leaving  San  Antonio  I was  obliged  to  pur- 
chase corn  for  the  mules  belonging  to  the  boundary  commission,  to  the 
amount  of  forty-one  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents. 

My  account  with  the  quartermaster’s  department§at  San  Antonio 
having  been  closed,  it  was  inconvenient  to  Major  Babbitt  to  have  this 
small  sum  introduced  as  an  item  in  it.  I therefore  drew  on  the  depart- 
ment for  it,  in  favor  of  Major  L.  G.  Capers  or  order,  payable  the  1st  of 
July.  I respectfully  request  that  the  draft  may  be  then  paid,  and  that 
I may  be  charged  with  that  sum,  for  which  I shall  account  to  the  Fifth 
Auditor.  When  I reach  Fort  Inge,  the  last  post  on  this  frontier,  I shall 
be  obliged  to  draw  from  the  army  commissary  there  a small  quantity 
of  provisions,  to  the  amount  of  sixty  or  seventy  dollars,  upon  a transfer 
draft  on  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  in  favor  of  the  subsistence 
department  at  Washington,  payable  July  1.  These  are  the  last  drafts 
I shall  draw  on  the  department  on  account  of  contingent  expenses  of 
the  commission.  On  reaching  El  Paso  the  management  of  its  fiscal 
concerns  will  be  committed  entirely  to  Lieutenants  Tillinghast  and 
Burnside,  by  virtue  of  their  official  positions. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps , 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior, 


No.  70. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to  Colonel  Graham, 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington,  June  5,  1851. 

Sir:  Your  letters  of  the  10th,  12th,  and  13th  of  May  have  been  re- 
ceived. Your  drafts  for  the  amount  of  your  salary  for  the  months  of 
March,  April,  May,  June  and  July,  will  be  paid  when  due. 

As  Major  George  F.  Bartlett,  acting  under  the  orders  of  the  commis- 
sioner, is  now  engaged  in  purchasing  stores  for  the  commission,  it  is  not 
deemed  necessary  to  issue  requisitions  in  favor  of  Lieutenants  Tilling- 
hast and  Burnside  until  the  commissioner  can  have  time  to  advise  the 
department  of  the  amount  required,  in  addition  to  the  purchases  of  Major 
Bartlett. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary. 

Brevet  Lt.  Col.  Graham,  fyc.,  fyc.,  fyc., 

United  States  Boundary  Commission . 


129 


S.  Doc.  121. 


No.  71. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett . 

[By  Express.]  Frontera,  June  26,  1851. 

Dear  Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  I arrived  at  the  mili- 
tary post  of  El  Paso  del  Norte  on  the  24th  inst.,  with  the  instruments 
for  running  and 'marking  the  boundary  line,  under  the  treaty  with  Mex- 
ico. I have  had  these  instruments  stored  here  to-day,  ready  for  issuing 
to  the  surveying  parties,  so  soon  as  the  reorganization  of  the  scientific 
corps  can  be  made,  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior. 

Understanding  at  El  Paso  that  you  are  expected  there  in  a few  days, 
I have  thought  it  best  to  await  your  arrival,  and  hope  to  have  the  plea- 
sure of  meeting  you  soon. 

I have  sent  instructions  to  Lieut.  Whipple  to  proceed  to  this  place 
with  as  little  delay  as  practicable,  as  I think  his  presence  very  neces^- 
sary  before  we  proceed  with  the  reorganization. 

I have  several  packages  and  letters  for  you,  which  I will  have  the 
pleasure  to  deliver  on  meeting  you  here.  They  are  so  distributed 
among  the  various  boxes  of  instruments,  that  I cannot  at  this  hasty 
moment  lay  my  hands  upon  them. 

Hoping  to  meet  you  in  good  health,  I remain,  very  truly,  your  obe- 
dient servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps,  fyc.,  fyc.,  Sfc. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner,  §c.,  Copper  Mines , N.  M. 


No.  72. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Headquarters  U.  S.  and  M.  B.  C., 

Santa  Rita  ( Copper  Mines,)  New  Mexico,  July  1,  1851. 

Dear  Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  the  26th  ultimo  (written  in  pencil,*)  announcing  your  arrival 
at  Frontera,  with  the  instruments  for  running  and  marking  the  bound- 
ary line  under  the  treaty  with  Mexico,  and  that,  having  heard  at  El 
Paso  that  I was  expected  there  in  a few  days,  you  would  await  my 
arrival.  In  reply,  1 have  to  state  that  I have  had  no  idea  of  visiting 
El  Paso  at  present,  and  that  no  one  was  authorized  to  make  such  a 
statement.  F urthermore,  the  settlement  of  my  quarterly  and  yearly 
accounts  to  the  30th  of  June,  the  accumulation  of  business  during  my 


* The  sending  of  this  letter  in  pencil  was  an  inadvertent  mistake  of  my  clerk,  who  very  hastily 
made  a copy  in  pencil  in  order  to  transfer  it  to  my  letter-book,  so  as  not  to  detain  the  express. 
Without  being  aware  of  it,  he  unfortunately  enclosed  the  pencil  copy  to  the  commissioner, 
instead  of  the  original.  So  soon  as  1 discovered  the  mistake  I made  a suitable  explanation  and 
apology  to  Mr.  Bartlett,  for  1 was  incapable  of  treating  him,  intentionally,  with  any  slight  in 
the  manner  of  addressing  him. 


9 


J.  D.  GRAHAM. 


130 


S.  Doc.  121. 


late  absence  of  a month,  and  the  replies  to  numerous  letters  and  des- 
patches, just  received  by  Mr.  Sanford,  all  of  which  require  my  imme- 
diate attention,  will  render  it  absolutely  impossible  for  me  to  leave  here 
at  this  time  to  meet  you  at  Frontera,  to  re-organize  the  scientific  corps 
of  the  boundary  commission.  I shall  be  glad,  therefore,  if  you  will 
meet  me  at  this  place,  which  is  in  the  centre  of  our  present  operations, 
when  I will  unite  with  you  in  carrying  out  the  instructions  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  Interior. 

I remain,  very  truly,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Chief  Astronomer  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps  of 

the  U.  S . Boundary  Commission , Frontera , Texas . 

Note. — This  letter  was  not  sent  to  me  by  express,  but  was  sent  by 
a wagon  train,  which  came  down  from  the  Copper  Mines  to  Frontera 
for  provisions,  under  charge  of  Mr.  Myer,  the  late  quartermaster,  who 
handed  it  to  me  a little  before  sunset  on  the  8th  of  July,  at  Frontera, 
after  Lieutenant  Whipple  had  joined  me  there. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM. 


No.  73. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Lieutenant  Whipple. 

[By  Express.]  Frontera  Observatory, 

Six  miles  above  El  Paso , June  26,  1851. 

Sir:  I arrived  here  on  the  24th  instant  with  the  surveying  and  other 
instruments  provided  for  the  work,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  of 
running  and  marking  the  line  of  boundary  under  the  treaty  of  Guadaj 
lupe  Hidalgo. 

Understanding  that  Mr.  Bartlett,  the  United  States  commissioner,  is 
probably  on  his  way  here,  and  as  I shall  be  obliged  to  remain  here  for 
several  days  to  see  the  instruments  unpacked  and  properly  stored,  our 
first  meeting  will  be  here.  As  I consider  your  presence  here  very 
important  before  I take  further  steps,  I request  that  you  will  repair  to> 
this  place  with  as  little  delay  as  practicable,  and  report  to  me. 

I shall  be  glad  if  you  will  bring  with  you  a list  of  the  party  now 
acting  under  your  direction,  and  also  an  account — as  near  as  it  may 
be  made  without  more  than  a day’s  detention — of  all  the  instruments 
and  other  public  property  now  in  your  possession,  including  wagons, 
harness,  horses,  mules,  and  camp  equipage. 

Please  have  your  party  properly  provided  for  in  your  camp  during 
your  absence. 

In  great  haste,  I remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col .,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps , §V. 

First  Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple, 

U.  S.  Corps  Topographical  Engineers , 

near  Cool  Spring , New  Mexico . 


131 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  74. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Lieutenant  Whipple, 


[Extract.] 

Frontera,  June  2G,  1851. 

My  Dear  Sir:  * * * * * 

Understanding  that  Mr.  Bartlett  is  not  now  with  you,  I must  request 
you  to  present  my  profound  respects  to  General  Garcia  Conde,  the 
Mexican  commissioner,  and  his  suite,  particularly  including  Mr.  Salazar, 
whom  I think  I had  the  pleasure  to  know  in  the  city  of  Mexico. 

I hope  soon  to  have  the  pleasure  of  making  my  respects  in  person 
to  those  gentlemen. 

I remain,  very  sincerely,  yours, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM. 

Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple,  8fc.,  fyc. , fyc. 

Cool  Spring , New  Mexico, 


No.  75. 


Lieutenant  Whipple  to  Colonel  Graham. 

Station  11,  June  29,  1851. 

Colonel:  Your  orders  of  the  2Gth  instant  reached  me  lale  last 
evening.  I will  hasten  to  carry  them  into  effect. 

It  is  necessary  for  me  to  return  to  my  camp,  beyond  the  Mimbres,  to 
obtain  the  lists  you  require,  and  provide  for  the  subsistence  of  the 
party.  I will  then,  with  as  little  delay  as  practicable,  report  to  you  at 
Frontera  observatorv. 

J 

I remain,  sir,  very  respectfullv,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  W.  WHIPPLE, 

Lieut.  U.  S.  Topographical  Engineers . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Topographical  Engineers , Head  of  the 

Scientific  Corps , Frontera  Observatory,  Texas. 


No.  76. 

Lieutenant  Whipple  to  Colonel  Graham. 

Station  11,  June  29,  1851. 

Colonel:  lam  happy  to  learn  that  you  have  arrived  safety  and 
with  good  instruments. 

It  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to  present  your  respects  to  General 
Garcia  Conde  and  his  suite,  and  I shall  particularly  include  my  friend 
Mr.  Salazar,  whom  I expect  to  find  at  my  camp,  near  Cool  Spring. 


132 


Doc.  121. 


I have  heard  him  speak  of  his  pleasure  in  meeting'  with  you  in  the 
city  of  Mexico. 

I am  obliged  to  you  for  having  taken  the  trouble  of  bringing  the 
commission  you  speak  of. 

May  I ask  the  favor  of  presenting  my  compliments  to  Mr.  Chandler, 
Mr.  Gray,  &c. 

I will  despatch  one  of  the  escort  this  day  with  your  letter  to  Mr. 
Bardett,  at  Cantonment  Dawson  (Santa  Rita  del  Cobre.) 

I remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  W.  WHIPPLE. 


Lieut.  Col.  Graham, 

Head  of  Scientific  Corps  United  States 

Boundary  Commission , fyc.,  Sfc.,  Frontera . 


No.  77. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Colonel  Alert , Chief  Topographical  Engineer . 

Frontera,  on  the  Rio  Grande, 

Six  miles  above  El  Faso  del  Norte , Texas , June  30,  1851. 

Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  report  to  you  that  my  command  from  the 
corps  of  topographical  engineers  attached  to  the  commission  for  run- 
ning and  marking  the  boundary  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico, 
consists,  at  present,  of  First  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple,  now  on  the 
line,  and  Second  Lieutenant  Wm.  F.  Smith,  present  at  this  place. 

Lieutenant  Whipple  has  been  attached  to  this  duty  since  the  com- 
mission, on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  was  first  organized.  Lieu- 
tenant Smith,  who  reported  to  me  at  San  Antonio,  on  the  10th  of  May, 
Is  the  only  officer  of  the  corps  that  has  been  added  to  this  command 
since  I was  detailed  to  take  charge  of  it,  and  he  now  stands  in  the 
place  of  Second  Lieutenant  and  Brevet  Captain  Hardcastle,  of  the  corps, 
who  was  relieved  from  my  command  by  the  Department  of  the  Inte- 
rior, in  December  last,  and  directed  to  remain  on  the  Pacific. 

The  order  of  the  bureau,  of  the  3d  March  last,  addressed  to  Lieut. 
Col.  Johnston,  which  directed  that  Lieutenant  Michler  should  report  to 
me  for  this  service,  was  not  served  upon  Lieutenant  M.  The  com- 
manding general  of  the  8th  military  department  would  not  allow  this 
to  be  done,  inasmuch  as  that  officer  had  been  assigned  to  duty  under 
the  orders  of  the  commanding  general  of  that  department;  and  it  re- 
quired an  order  from  the  general  headquarters  of  the  army  to  relieve 
him.  The  matter  was  referred  to  Washington  by  General  Harney ; but 
before  the  orders  of  the  War  Department,  of  April  29,  reached  San 
Antonio,  Lieutenant  Michler  had  left  that  place  and  proceeded  to  the 
north  on  a sick  leave. 

I would  be  very  glad  if  two  graduates  of  the  Military  Academy,  of 
tlie  present  year,  could  be  detailed  for  this  service  and  ordered  out,  by 
•way  of  Santa  Fe,  to  report  to  me  on  this  line.  The  great  extent  of 
this  boundary  renders  at  least  four  assistants  from  the  corps  very  ne- 
cessary, to  insure  the  desired  progress  in  surveying  and  marking  it. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


133 


Civil  engineers  of  the  necessary  qualifications  cannot  be  obtained  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  and  they  could  not  be  engaged  at  the  north  ex- 
cept at  very  high  salaries — more,  indeed,  than  the  appropriation  will 
bear. 

I arrived  at  the  military  post  of  El  Paso,  with  my  party  and  all  the 
instruments  which  I had  caused  to  be  constructed  for  this  service,  on 
the  24th  of  this  month,  with  the  advance  of  Captain  S.  G.  French’s 
military  escort  and  government  train  of  wagons.  This  was  the  earli- 
est possible  day  I could  have  arrived  there ; for  it  is  the  only  military 
escort  or  government  train  that  has  come  out  to  this  frontier  post  since 
I was  detailed  for  this  service.  Major  Backus,  3d  infantry,  and  Capt. 
Sitgreaves,  topographical  engineers,  who  left  Washington  early  in  the 
winter,  had  both  been  detained  at  San  Antonio  awaiting  an  opportunity 
to  go  to  El  Paso.  They  availed  themselves  of  the  same  escort,  and 
reached  El  Paso  at  the  same  time  with  myself  and  party. 

I am  happy  to  state  that  my  party  arrived  in  good  health,  and  the 
instruments,  including  chronometers  and  barometers,  (the  most  delicate 
of  all  the  transport,)  arrived  in  good  order.  My  total  time  from  San 
Antonio  to  El  Paso  was  thirty-seven  days.  The  number  of  actual 
marching  days  was  twenty-nine. 

My  instrument  return,  for  the  quarter  ending  this  day,  will  be  imme- 
diately made  out  and  forwarded  to  you.  In  case  a mail  route  should 
not  be  established  between  San  Antonio  and  El  Paso,  a circumstance 
which  will  be  known  to  you  at  Washington,  I would  recommend  that 
communications  to  me  should  be  forwarded  via  Independence  and 
Santa  Fe,  and  that  the  commanding  officer  at  the  latter  post  be  re- 
quested to  forward  them,  by  the  express,  to  this  place. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brevet  Lieut.  Col.,  Head  oj  the  Scientific  Corps,  fyc.,  fyc. 

Colonel  J.  J.  Abert, 

Chief  of  Topographical  Engineers , Washington,  D.  C. 


No.  78. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

Frontera,  (White’s  Rancho,)  on  the  Rio  Grande, 

Six  miles  above  El  Paso  del  Norte , Jidy  1,  1851. 

Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  report  to  the  department,  that  I arrived  at 
the  military  post  of  El  Paso,  with  my  party  and  my  small  train  of 
wagons,  loaded  with  instruments,  provisions  and  camp  equipage,  on 
the  24th  ultimo,  with  the  advance  of  Captain  S.  G.  French’s  military 
escort  and  army  wagon  train.  This  is  the  first  military  escort  or  army 
wagon  train  that  has  reached  El  Paso  since  I was  detailed  for  duty  on 
the  United  States  and  Mexican  boundary  commission,  and  it  is  the  first 
opportunity,  since  that  period,  by  which  the  instruments  for  this  service 
could  have  been  transported  here  in  security. 


134 


S.  Doc.  121. 


I left  San  Antonio  on  the  19th  of  May,  and  overtook  Captain  French's 
train  on  the  7th  of  June  at  Camanche  Spring,  SO  miles  on  this  side  of  the 
point  where  we  crossed  the  Pecos  river.  After  this  we  marched  gen- 
erally with  that  train,  until  we  reached  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
when  we  came  on  and  arrived  two  days  in  advance  of  it.  I left  San 
Antonio  on  the  19th  of  May,  and  my  total  time  to  El  Paso  was  37  days. 
The  number  of  marching  days  was  29,  having  halted  on  the  way  as 
many  as  eight  days  in  the  aggregate,  to  repair  wagons  and  rest  and  graze 
the  animals.  The  officers  and  men  of  my  party  all  arrived  in  good 
health  and  without  any  accident  whatever. 

My  first  object  on  arriving  was  to  secure  a safe  and  convenient  place 
to  store  the  instruments,  &c.,  as  it  was  necessary  I should  lose  no  time 
in  unloading  the  five  wagons  hired  from  the  quartermaster’s  department* 
in  order  to  turn  them  over  to  Capt.  S.  G.  French,  United  States  army* 
in  time  for  him  to  get  them  ready  for  his  return  trip  to  San  Antonio,  in 
compliance  with  my  agreement  with  Major  Babbitt.  The  supplies 
brought  up  by  Captain  French  filled  all  the  storehouses  at  the  garrison 
belonging  to  the  quartermaster’s  department,  and  we  could  find  no  ac- 
commodation there.  I found,  however,  that  ample  storage  was  afford- 
ed at  this  rancho,  which  is  hired  from  Mr.  White  for  the  use  of  the 
commission.  On  the  25th  of  June  my  party  and  the  wagons  were  all 
unloaded,  and  their  contents  stored,  and  1 am  happy  to  inform  the  de- 
partment that  all  the  instruments  reached  here  in  safety,  after  a journey 
of  eight  hundred  miles  overland,  a portion  of  the  route  being  along  very 
hilly  and  rough,  rocky  roads. 

I have  this  day  turned  over  to  Captain  French  the  five  wagons  and 
twenty-nine  mules,  together  with  the  harness  and  other  gear  delivered 
to  me  at  San  Antonio  by  Major  Babbitt.  One  of  the  mules  furnished 
by  him  was  left  on  the  route  so  diseased  that  he  could  not  proceed,  and 
probably  died  on  the  plains. 

Understanding  at  El  Paso  that  Mr.  Bartlett,  United  States  commis- 
sioner, was  expected  there  from  the  Copper  Mines  in  a few  days,  I sent 
an  express  to  him  on  the  26th,  informing  him  that  under  this  information 
I would  await  his  arrival  here.  So  soon  as  my  express  returns  I shall 
proceed  to  join  Mr.  Bartlett,  should  he  not  design  coming  here.  In  the 
mean  time  I have  been  busily  engaged  in  preparations  necessary  for  the 
field,  which  must  be  perfected  here. 

Mr.  W.  T.  Smith’s  train,  with  the  supplies  for  the  commission,  under 
the  contract  with  Ponce  de  Leon,  was  reported  to  me  yesterday  as  being 
near  San  Elizario.  Mr.  Smith  had  exhibited  to  me  the  contract*  for  this 
transportation,  and  requested,  before  we  left  him  on  the  route,  to  be  in- 
formed where  he  should  halt  his  wagons  to  deliver  these  stores.  There 
being  ample  storage  at  this  place  already  under  the  hire  of  the  commission, 
I directed  Lieutenant  Tillinghast  to  proceed  below  and  order  the  wagons 
to  unload  here,  as  he  and  Lieutenant  Burnside,  the  officers  detailed  as 
quartermasters  and  commissaries  to  the  commission,  will  have  to  take 
an  account  of  the  articles  as  they  are  delivered,  in  order  to  enable  them 
to  settle  for  the  transportation,  and  to  make  their  returns  to  the  depart- 


See  Appendix  No.  79. 


S.  Doc.  121.  135 

ment  of  everything  they  receive,  which,  under  the  system  of  account- 
ability adopted,  must  be  covered  by  their  account  of  issues. 

While  at  Fort  Inge,  on  the  Leona  river,  in  answer  to  inquiries  if  any 
instruments  had  been  left  there  belonging  to  the  commission,  I was  in- 
formed there  were  a number  of  articles,  marked  as  belonging  to  it,  in 
charge  of  Mr.  Howard,  sutler  at  that  post.  With  the  view  of  ascertain- 
ing whether  any  of  the  lost  instruments  were  among  them,  I directed  a 
board  of  survey,  consisting  of  Lieutenant  Wm.  F.  Smith,  corps  of  topo- 
graphical engineers,  and  Lieutenant  A.  E.  Burnside,  3d  regiment  of 
artillery,  quartermaster  and  commissary  for  the  commission,  to  inspect 
these  articles  and  report  upon  them. 

My  order  and  the  proceedings  in  the  case  are  hereto  appended, 
marked  M,  by  which  it  will  appear  that  the  articles  in  question  con- 
sisted of  twelve  barrels  containing  whiskey,  and  that  no  instruments 
were  found. 

Although  these  barrels  were  marked  as  the  property  of  the  United 
States  boundary  commission,  I directed  Mr.  Howard  not  to  forward 
them,  or  to  incur  any  expense  on  them  on  account  of  the  commission, 
but  to  await  in  relation  to  them  the  orders  of  whom  it  might  concern. 

I wrould  recommend  that  my  letters  be  sent  via  Independence  and 
Santa  Fe,  and  be  addressed  to  me  at  El  Paso  del  Norte. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps,  fyc.,  fyc.,  Sfc. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior,  Washington. 


M — (Appended  to  No.  78.) 

[Special  Order  No.  5.]  Fort  Inge,  Leona  River, 

Texas,  May  24,  1851. 

Understanding  that  there  are  a number  of  packages  now  in  the  cus- 
tody of  Mr.  Howard,  sutler  of  this  post,  marked  as  the  property  of  the 
United  States  boundary  commission ; with  a view  to  ascertain  their 
contents,  and  especially  whether  there  are  among  them  any  astronom- 
ical or  surveying  instruments,  a board  of  survey,  to  consist  of  Lieuten- 
ant W.  F.  Smith,  of  the  corps  of  topographical  engineers,  and  Lieu- 
tenant A.  E.  Burnside,  of  the  3d  regiment  of  artillery,  attached  to  the 
said  commission,  is  hereby  appointed  to  proceed  to  make  a survey  and 
inspection  of  the  said  packages. 

The  board  will  forthwith  perform  the  duty  assigned  to  it,  and  will 
report  the  contents  and  present  condition  of  the  said  packages,  in  order 
to  a decision  as  to  the  expediency  of  having  them,  or  any  of  them,  sent 
forward  to  El  Paso  del  Norte  for  the  use  of  the  commission. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brcixt  Lieut . Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps,  fyc.,  Sfc., 


136 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Fort  Inge,  Leona  Rivek, 

Texas , May  24,  1S5L 

The  board  met  pursuant  to  the  above  order — present  all  the  mem- 
bers. 

The  board,  after  careful  examination,  find  that  no  instruments  or 
public  property  of  any  kind  were  left  in  charge  of  Mr.  Howard,  sutler 
at  Fort  Inge,  marked  as  the  property  of  the  United  States  boundary 
commission,  except  twelve  whiskey  barrels,  two  of  which  were  nearly 
empty,  and  the  remainder  have  had  more  or  less  of  their  contents- 
drawn  out. 

These  barrels  it  appears  were  first  placed  in  an  open  storehouse, 
where  they  were  probably  opened  by  persons  unknown,  and  were 
afterwards,  for  better  keeping,  turned  over  to  Mr.  Howard,  who  says 
he  did  not  become  responsible  for  them.  The  whiskey  was  of  a very 
inferior  quality. 

The  board  having  no  further  business,  adjourned. 

WM.  F.  SMITH, 
Lieut.  Topographical  Engineers . 

A.  E.  BURNSIDE, 

Lieut . 3 d Artillery , Quartermaster  and  Commissary  U.  S.  B.  C- 


No.  79. 

Contract  for  Transportation  of  Provisions,  See „ 

Articles  of  Agreement  entered  into  this  day , between  the  United  States  and 
Mexican  Boundary  Commission , by  their  Commissary , George  F.  Bart- 
lett, and  Juan  Maria  Ponce  de  Leon,  of  El  Paso  del  Norte . 

Whereas  the  said  George  F.  Bartlett,  commissary  as  aforesaid,  is 
about  to  transport  from  Indianola,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  or  horn  San 
Antonio,  such  articles  of  merchandise,  provisions,  liquors,  arms,  am- 
munition, baggage,  and  whatever  may  be  the  property  of  the  commis- 
sion, or  the  commissary,  to  El  Paso  del  Norte,  and  to  such  other  places 
this  side  of,  or  at  the  Copper  Mines,  as  may  be  required  for  the  several 
parties  interested ; and  whereas  the  said  Juan  Maria  Ponce  de  Leon 
is  desirous  of  receiving  and  transporting  the  said  property  to  its  said 
destination : 

Now,  therefore,  it  is  mutually  agreed  upon,  and  the  said  United 
States  and  Mexican  boundary  commission,  by  their  commissary,  George 
F.  Bartlett,  of  the  first  part,  enter  into  contract  with  the  said  Juan 
Maria  Ponce  de  Leon,  of  the  second  part,  to  the  following  effect,  viz  : 
The  said  party  of  the  first  part  agrees  to  furnish  the  said  arms,  am- 
munition, merchandise,  & c.,  &c.,  at  Indianola  or  at  San  Antonio,  in 
good  merchantable  condition,  to  be  transported  to  El  Paso  del  Norte,, 
or  be}’ond,  as  above  expressed,  at  as  early  a date  as  possible,  to  the 
extent  of  or  near  forty  thousand  pounds  or  more ; and  the  said  party 
of  the  second  part  agrees  and  binds  himself  to  receive  and  transport 
the  said  arms,  &c.,  in  wagons  to  be  drawn  by  mules,  to  El  Paso  del 


S.  Doc.  121. 


137 


Norte,  or  beyond,  as  above  expressed,  and  to  deliver  the  same  in  like 
good  order  and  condition,  unavoidable  accidents  of  the  road  only  ex- 
cepted ; and  the  said  party  of  the  second  part  is  to  receive  from  the 
said  party  of  the  first  part  at  the  rate  of  fourteen  cents  per  pound  from 
Indianola  to  El  Paso  del  Norte.  But,  in  case  the  said  goods,  or  any 
portion  of  them,  shall  have  reached  San  Antonio  or  be  on  their  way 
from  the  coast  when  the  teams  of  the  said  Ponce  de  Leon  arrive  at 
that  place,  then  the  said  Ponce  de  Leon  is  to  receive  only  thirteen 
cents  per  pound ; and  for  such  articles  as  he  may  receive  at  the  Leona 
station  he  is  to  receive  only  twelve  and  a half  cents  per  pound. 

It  is  further  agreed  by  the  said  party  of  the  first  part,  that  in  case 
he  deems  it  necessary  to  transport  by  contract  the  stores,  &c.,  men- 
tioned above,  or  any  part  thereof,  to  the  Copper  Mines,  he  will  pay  the 
said  party  of  the  second  part  six  cents  per  pound  from  El  Paso  to  the 
Copper  Mines  for  said  transportation. 

It  is  further  agreed,  that  the  said  party  of  the  first  part  shall  not  be 
liable  for  demurrage,  in  case  the  articles  above  mentioned  shall  not  be 
at  Indianola  on  the  arrival  of  the  train  at  that  place. 

The  said  party  of  the  second  part  also  further  agrees  and  binds 
himself  to  return  to  Indianola  in  the  month  of  August  next,  and  trans- 
port from  thence  to  El  Paso  additional  supplies  for  the  boundary  com- 
mission, which  the  said  party  of  the  first  part  agrees  and  binds  him- 
self to  furnish  on  the  same  terms  and  at  the  same  rate  as  above  men- 
tioned, viz:  fourteen  cents  per  pound  to  the  extent  of  fifty  thousand 
pounds,  or  thereabouts. 

In  payment  of  the  transportation  mentioned  in  this  contract,  the  said 
party  of  the  second  part  is  to  receive  one-third  in  cash,  if  required  by 
him,  and  the  remainder  to  be  paid  on  delivery  in  a draft  drawn  by  the 
commissioner  on  the  treasury  of  the  United  States. 

Sealed,  signed,  and  delivered  at  El  Paso  del  Norte,  this  seventh  day 
of  February,  one  thousand  ei«ht  hundred  and  fifty-one. 

GEORGE  F.  BARTLETT.  [seal.] 

J.  MARIA  PONCE  DE  LEON,  [seal.] 

Witness : 

Charles  Phillips, 

W.  F.  Smith. 


No.  80. 

[Circular.]  Frontera,  June  29,  1S-51. 

The  members  of  the  scientific  corps  of  the  United  States  boundary 
commission  who  have  in  their  possession  instruments  or  apparatus  of 
any  kind  belonging  to  the  commission,  or  notes,  records,  plots,  or  maps 
of  work  accomplished,  will  please  make  out  and  submit  to  the  head  of 
the  scientific  corps  full  returns  of  the  same,  to  embrace  the  quarter 
that  will  end  on  the  30th  instant.  The  condition  of  the  instruments  or 
apparatus  will  be  particularly  stated  in  the  remarks  opposite  to  each 
item. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col .,  Head  of  the  Scientife  Corps , U.  S.  B.  C. 


138 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  81. 


[Orders.]  Frontera,  June  29,  1851. 

The  work  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  boundary  commission, 
under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  will  be  suspended  on  the  line 
until  it  can  be  inspected  by  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  appointed 
by  the  President  of  the  United  States  on  the  part  of  the  said  commis- 
sion, who  will  proceed  to  perform  that  duty  at  the  earliest  practica- 
ble day. 

Lieutenant  Whipple,  United  States  topographical  engineers,  will 
give  instructions  accordingly  to  the  party  under  his  direction. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col .,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps  U.  S.  B.  C. 

[Sent  to  Lieutenant  Whipple,  Cool  Spring,  N.  M.] 


No.  82. 

Frontera,  Texas,  July  1,  1851. 

Lieutenants  O.  H.  Tillinghast  and  A.  E.  Burnside,  United  States 
army,  who  have  been  detailed  as  quartermasters  and  commissaries  in 
chief  of  the  United  States  commission  of  boundary,  under  the  treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  are  authorized  to  receive  from  Don  Juan  Maria 
Ponce  de  Leon,  or  his  authorized  agent,  all  articles  of  merchandise, 
provisions,  arms,  ammunition,  baggage,  and  other  property  marked  as 
belonging  to  the  United  States  boundary  commission,  or  transported 
as  such  under  the  contract  with  the  commissary  of  said  commission 
dated  February  7,  1851,  and  to  settle  for  same  according  to  said 
contract. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col .,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps  U.  S.  B.  C. 


No.  83. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham. 

Headquarters  U.  S.  and  M.  B.  C., 

Santa,  Rita  ( Copper  Mines,)  New  Mexico,  Jidy  1,  1851. 
Dear  Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  the  26th  ultimo  (written  in  pencil,*)  announcing  your  arrival 
at  Frontera,  with  the  instruments  for  running  and  marking  the  bound- 


*The  sending  of  this  letter  in  pencil  was  an  inadvertent  mistake  of  my  cferk,  who  very 
hastily  made  a copy  in  pencil,  in  order  to  transfer  it  to  my  letter-book,  so  as  not  to  detain  the 
express.  Unfortunately,  without  being  aware  of  it,  he  enclosed  the  pencil  copy  to  the  com- 
missioner, instead  of  the  original  So  soon  as  1 discovered  the  mistake  I made  a suitable 
explanation  and  apology  to  Mr.  Bartlett,  as  I was  incapable  of  treating  him,  intentionally, 
with  any  slight  in  the  manner  of  addressing  him. 


J.  D.  GRA.HAM. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


139 


ary  line  under  the  treaty  with  Mexico,  and  that,  having  heard  at  El 
Paso  that  I was  expected  there  in  a few  days,  you  would  await  my 
arrival. 

In  reply,  I have  to  state  that  I have  had  no  idea  of  visiting  El  Paso 
at  present,  and  that  no  one  was  authorized  to  make  such  a statement. 
Furthermore,  the  settlement  of  my  quarterly  and  yearty  accounts  to 
the  30th  of  June,  the  accumulation  of  business  during  my  late  absence 
of  a month,  and  the  replies  to  numerous  letters  and  despatches,  just 
received  by  Mr.  Sanford,  all  of  which  require  my  immediate  attention, 
will  render  it  absolutely  impossible  for  me  to  leave  here  at  this  time 
to  meet  you  at  Frontera,  to  re-organize  the  scientific  corps  of  the 
boundary  commission.  I shall  be  glad,  therefore,  if  you  will  meet  me 
at  this  place,  which  is  in  the  centre  of  our  present  operations,  when  I 
will  unite  with  you  in  carrying  out  the  instructions  of  the  Department 
of  the  Interior. 

I remain,  very  truly,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Chief  Astronomer  and  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps 

U.  S.  Boundary  Commission , Frontera , Texas . 

N.  B. — This  letter  was  not  sent  to  me  by  express,  but  was  sent  by 
a wagon  train  which  came  down  from  the  Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita 
to  Frontera  for  provisions,  under  charge  of  Mr.  Myer,  the  late  quarter- 
master, who  handed  it  to  me  a little  before  sunset  on  the  Sth  of  July, 
1851,  after  Lieutenant  Whipple  had  joined  me  at  the  latter  place. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM. 


No.  84. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 

Frontera,  July  10,  1851. 

Dear  Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  the  1st  instant,  which  was  handed  to  me  on  the  evening  of  the 
8th,  by  Mr.  Myer. 

Understanding  from  you  that  the  impression  which  seemed  to  pre- 
vail at  El  Paso  when  I arrived  there,  that  you  contemplated  an  early 
visit  to  that  place,  was  erroneous,  I have  the  honor  to  acquaint  you 
that  I shall  proceed,  in  a few  days  from  this  time,  to  join  you  at  the 
Copper  Mines,  where  I shall  very  cheerfully  unite  with  you  in  the 
labors  which  will  devolve  upon  us,  under  the  instructions  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  Interior. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  truly,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col.)  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner , fyc. , Sfc.,  §c..  Copper  Mines . 


140 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  85. 


Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett . 


Froxtera,  July  13,  1851. 

Dear  Sir:  I beg  leave  to  introduce  to  you  Lieutenant  A.  E.  Burn- 
side, of  the  3d  regiment  of  United  States  artillery,  one  of  the  officers 
recently  detailed,  by  order  of  the  President,  to  perform  the  duty  of 
quartermaster  and  commissary  to  the  United  States  commission  of 
boundary,  under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo.  Lieutenant  Burn- 
side is  an  officer  of  great  merit,  and  I feel  assured  you  will  be  pleased 
to  have  him  at  your  station.  He  has  been  instructed  to  take  charge 
of  the  commissary’s  stores  delivered  to  Mr.  Myer  here  for  transport- 
ation to  the  Copper  Mines,  and  to  superintend  their  issue.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  stores  called  for  by  vour  letter  of  the  30th  ultimo,  to  Mr. 
Myer,  we  have  procured  here,  and  sent  forward  with  his  train,  five 
thousand  pounds  of  flour.  There  was  neither  flour  nor  hard  bread 
among  the  stores  delivered  by  Mr.  W.  T.  Smith,  agent  for  Ponce  de 
Leon.  I was  in  hopes  I could  have  been  accommodated  with  two 
wagons  and  teams  from  Mr.  Myer’s  train,  but  it  was  necessary  to  load 
them  all  in  order  to  send  forward  the  provisions.  I shall,  however, 
obtain  the  necessary  transportation  the  best  way  I can,  and  proceed  to 
join  you  in  the  shortest  time  practicable.  I will  bring  with  me  the 
drawings,  &c.,  executed  by  Mr.  Vaudricourt,  which  you  desired  to 
be  sent  up  by  Mr.  Murphy.  In  order  to  inform  myself  upon  every 
proper  point  (as  far  as  was  in  my  power,  at  least,  while  in  this  vicinity) 
preparatory  to  the  reorganization  of  the  scientific  corps,  I have  been 
obliged  to  call  on  all  its  members  here,  to  present  their  works  for  my 
inspection ; and,  since  I learned  you  did  not  design  visiting  El  Paso, 
I have  found  it  necessary  to  give  even  more  time  to  this  object  prepar- 
atory to  joining  you. 

I remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J,  D.  GRAHAM, 
Lieutenant  Colonel , fyc.,  fyc. 


J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner , Copper  Mines , N.  M. 


No.  86. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Lieutenant  Burnside. 

Frontera,  six  miles  above  El  Paso, 

July  13,  1851. 

Sir  : You  will  please  proceed  to  the  Copper  Mines,  and  on  the  ar- 
rival there  of  the  subsistence  stores  which  were  delivered  on  the  12th 
inst.  to  James  Myer,  esq.,  for  transportation  thither,  you  will  please 
take  charge  of  them  and  have  them  stored  in  such  place  as  shall  be 
provided  by  direction  of  the  United  States  commissioner  for  that  pur- 
pose. They  will  then,  until  further  orders,  be  issued,  under  your  di- 


S.  Doc.  121. 


141 


rectioft,  to  the  members  of  the  U nited  States  boundary  commission 
stationed  there  and  in  that  vicinity,  upon  provision  returns,  setting  forth 
the  number  and  names  of  the  persons  for  whom  they  are  required, 
duly  approved  by  the  United  States  commissioner,  or  myself  after  my 
arrival  there.  Until  further  orders  one  army  ration  per  day  will  be 
allowed  to  each  individual  entitled  to  subsistence  from  the  stores  of 
the  commission.  Whenever  fresh  meat  can  be  got,  from  one-fourth 
to  one-third  of  the  meat  portion  of  the  ration  will  consist  of  salt  pork 
or  bacon,  and  the  balance  will  be  fresh.  Any  requisition  which  the 
commissioner  may  make  for  his  own  subsistence  will  be  honored. 

Mr.  G.  S.  Peirce,  assistant  on  the  United  States  boundary  survey, 
not  being  at  present  necessarily  occupied  by  other  duties,  is  author- 
ized to  proceed  with  you  and  act  as  your  assistant  for  the  present. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps , $fc.,  §c. 

Lieut.  A.  E.  Burnside,  3 d U.  S.  Artillery , 

Q.  M.  and  Commissary  U.  S.  B.  C.,  Frontera  Texas . 


No.  87. 

Frontera,  Texas,  July  18,  1851. 

Sir:  Understanding  that  the  last  train  from  San  Antonio  brought  up 
several  boxes  of  boots  and  shoes,  bought  at  government  expense  for 
the  use  of  the  members  of  the  United  States  boundary  commission, 
and  we  being  in  extreme  want  of  such  articles,  would  beg  that  you 
would  allow  the  United  States  boundary  commission  commissary  to 
issue  them  to  us. 

M.  SEATON, 

M.  VON  H1PPEL, 

GEO.  G.  GARNER, 

JOHN  H.  CLARK, 

JOHN  LAWSON, 

THEO.  F.  MOSS, 

JAMES  P.  ESPY,  Jr. 

Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps , Sfc. 


No.  88. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham* 

Headquarters  of  th?  Boundary  Commission, 

Santa  Rita  del  Cohre , July  23,  1851. 
Sir:  General  Conde,  the  Mexican  commissioner,  has  removed  his 
encampment  to  the  Bouro  [Burro]  mountains,  some  sixty  miles*  distant 
from  here.  On  his  way  thither,  July  19,  he  called  upon  me.  This 


142 


S.  Doc.  121. 


offering  the  last  opportunity,  for  some  time  to  come,  for  an  interview,  it 
was  embraced  to  hold  a meeting  of  the  joint  commission. 

At  this  meeting  it  was  agreed  that  the  commissioners  and  surveyors, 
with  the  necessary  assistants,  should  proceed  forthwith  to  the  Gila,  and 
trace  it,  from  the  point  where  the  western  boundary  line  of  New  Mex- 
ico intersects  it,  to  its  junction  with  the  Colorado. 

Mr.  Gray  and  myself  are  now  engaged  in  making  the  necessary 
preliminary  arrangements  preparatory  to  starting.  As  the  favorable 
season  is  now  rapidly  passing  away,  it  is  important  to  be  in  the  field 
with  as  little  additional  delay  as  possible,  otherwise  our  progress  will 
be  materially  impeded,  if  not,  indeed,  absolutely  arrested,  by  the 
setting  in  of  violent  rains,  which  usually  prevail  in  this  region  the  latter 
part  of  the  season. 

I am  desirous  of  having  your  advice  in  reference  to  the  astronomical 
party  which  it  may  be  thought  best  should  accompany  us.  You  will, 
therefore,  oblige  me  by  proceeding  to  this  place  at  the  earliest  practi- 
cable moment,  bringing  with  you  such  instruments  as  in  your  opinion 
should  be  taken  writh  us  on  such  a trip  as  is  proposed. 

Mr.  M.  Seaton,  now  at  Frontera,  has  been  selected  as  one  of  my 
proposed  party,  and  I will  thank  you  to  direct  him  to  report  himself  to 
me  at  once. 

You  will  also  greatly  oblige  me  by  furnishing  for  use,  on  this  occa- 
sion, ten  or  twelve  of  the  panniers  which  were  brought  out  by  you  for 
commission  purposes. 

Hoping  to  see  you  very  shortly,  I remain,  sir,  respectfully  vours, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Chief  Astronomer , fyc.,  U.  S.  B.  0.,  Frontera , Texas, 


No.  89. 

Lieutenant  Tillinghast  to  Col.  Graham . 


Frontera,  August  1,  1851. 

Colonel:  I am  sorry  to  inform  you  that  the  Apaches  have  made  a 
descent  upon  the  few  refuse  mules  I had,  and  run  them  off.  They,  at 
the  same  time,  took  about  twenty  from  Mr.  White.  Mine  were  with 
Mr.  White’s  muleteer,  and  in  charge  of  his  Mexican  herders.  Messrs. 
Lawson,  Chandler,  and  myself  followed  them  twenty  miles,  and  were 
compelled  to  give  up  the  chase.  I send  you  by  Mr.  Barry  all  the  arti- 
cles you  asked  for.  Mr.  Lawson  will  tell  you  the  news,  &c. 

Very  respectfully,  yours, 

O.  H.  TILLINGHAST, 
Quartermaster  and  Commissary , B.  C. 

Col.  James  D.  Graham, 

Head  Scientific  Corps,  fyc.,  Copper  Mines , N.  M. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


143 


No.  90. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 

Camp  at  the  Copper  Mines, 

August  2,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
the  23d  ultimo,  which  was  handed  to  me  by  Mr.  Barry,  whom  I met 
on  my  way  to  this  place,  on  the  27th. 

With  regard  to  the  instruments  for  the  survey  of  the  river  Gila,  I 
have  to  state  that  I brought  with  me  for  that  object  a sufficient  supply 
to  equip  a full  surveying  party  and  a reconnoitring  party.  Availing 
myself  of  the  wagon  which  was  sent  down  from  this  place  in  charge 
of  Mr.  Barry  for  that  purpose,  I sent  Mr.  Lawson  back  to  Frontera  to 
bring  up  an  additional  supply,  which,  with  those  already  here,  will  be 
ample  for  the  survey  of  the  river  Gila. 

While  at  Frontera,  I occupied  myself  in  looking  carefully  into  the 
state  of  the  work  so  far  as  it  has  hitherto  progressed.  From  the  note- 
books and  drawings  deposited  there,  together  with  the  explanations  of 
Lieut.  Whipple,  I have  been  able  to  obtain  information  which  will  tend 
greatly  to  expedite  the  future  progress  of  the  survey,  in  the  active  pros- 
ecution of  which  I am  ready  to  co-operate  with  you  at  the  earliest 
moment. 

I shall  be  ready  at  any  hour  you  may  name  to  enter  with  you  upon 
the  duty  of  reorganizing  the  scientific  corps,  of  organizing  parties,  &c. 
As  a preparatory  step  1 have  to  request  that  the  instructions  of  the 
Department  of  the  Interior  of  the  23d  of  October  last,  defining  my 
position  and  duties,  may  be  officially  made  known  to  the  coips. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  verv  respectfully,  }'Our  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Principal  Astr.  and  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps . 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

V . S.  Commissioner , fyc.,  &fc.,  fyc. 


No.  91. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Lieutenant  Whipple . 

Camp  at  the  Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  4, 185  L 

Sir:  You  will  please  give  instructions  to  the  members  of  the  scien- 
tific corps  of  the  United  States  boundary  commission,  now  at  this  place, 
to  turn  over  to  you,  this  morning,  all  the  instruments  belonging  to  the 
commission  in  their  possession.  We  will  then  proceed  to  inspect  them, 
in  order  that  such  as  may  be  found  in  fit  condition  for  service  may  be 
made  available  for  that  purpose  in  the  distribution  which  will  be  made 
to  the  parties  now  being  organized  for  the  field. 


144 


S.  Doc.  121. 


The  barometers  and  other  meteorological  instruments  need  not  be 
dismounted,  but  will  be  inspected  as  they  are  now  mounted  for  obser- 
vation. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Pr . Astr.  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps  U.  S.  B.  C. 
Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple, 

U.  S.  Top.  Eng's,  Sfc.,  U.  S.  B.  C. 


No.  92. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Headquarters  of  the  Boundary  Commission, 

Santa  Rita  del  Cohre,  August  4,  1851. 

Sir:  Your  letter  of  the  2d  instant,  advising  me  that  you  “shall  be 
ready  at  any  hour”  I may  name  “to  enter  upon  the  duty  of  reorganiz- 
ing the  scientific  corps,  of  organizing  parties,”  &c.,  has  been  duly  re- 
ceived. 

I have  long  been  anxious  for  a reorganization,  and  also  for  a diminu- 
tion of  the  scientific  corps,  believing  that  thereby  greater  efficiency 
and  economy  will  be  attained.  On  these  subjects,  I made  known  my 
views  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior  some  time  since,  and  have  rea- 
son to  believe  they  were  approved,  inasmuch  as  I have  been  enjoined 
“to  reorganize  the  commission  at  once,  and  curtail  the  force  employed  to 
the  lowest  possible  limit  consistent  with  a proper  discharge  of  the  business 
fx  ret ci  connected  with  the  mpmd'  As  I am  anxious  that  this  business  should  be 
attended  to  with  as  little  additional  delay  as  possible,  I would  propose 
eleven  o’clock  this  morning  for  you  to  meet  me  at  my  house,  “to  aid 
me  in  organizing  parties  and  giving  the  necessary  directions  to  subor- 
dinates.” 

Immediately  upon  the  reorganization  being  completed,  I will  take 
the  necessary  steps  to  make  known  to  the  heads  of  the  several  parties 
“the  instructions  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  of  the  23d  October 
last,”  and  through  them  cause  your  true  position,  &c.,  to  be  communi- 
cated to  all  under  them. 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 

J.  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner. 

Lieut.  Coh  J.  D.  Graham, 

Chief  Astronomer , fyc.,  fyc.,  <$£. 


S.  Doc.  12  J. 

No.  93. 


145 


Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 

Camp  at  the  Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  4,  1851. 

Sir:  I have  just  received  your  letter  of  this  morning,  and  will  with 
great  pleasure  meet  you  at  the  hour  proposed  by  you,  at  the  office  of 
the  boundary  commission,  for  the  transaction  of  the  business  committed 
to  us. 

I remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieutenant  Colonel , t Jfc*.,  8fc.,  fyc. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S . Commissioner , Sfc.,  Sfc.,  fyc. 


No.  94. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

New  Mexico , August  6,  1851. 

Sir:  I have  to  request  that  you  will,  as  soon  as  convenient,  give  me, 
in  writing,  your  reasons  for  refusing,  as  you  did,  at  your  office  this 
morning,  in  presence  of  nearly  all  the  members  of  the  scientific  corps, 
whom  you  had  assembled  there  to  meet  me,  to  receive  and  recognise 
me  in  the  capacity  of  principal  astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific 
corps  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  to  assist  you  in  running,  tracing, 
and  marking  the  line  of  boundary  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico,  under  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  a 
position  to  which  you  were  instructed  by  the  Department  of  the  Inte- 
rior, under  date  of  October  23,  1850,  I was  appointed. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Brin . Astr.  and  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps. 

J.  R.  Bartlett, 

U.  S.  Commissioner , fyc.,  fyc. 


No.  95. 


Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Headquarters  U.  S.  Boundary  Commission, 

Santa  Rita  del  Cohre , August  G,  1851. 
Sir:  In  consequence  of  the  misunderstanding  between  us  as  to  the 
interpretation  of  my  instructions  from  the  Department  of  the  Interior, 


146 


S.  Doc.  121 


Washington,  bearing  date  of  October  23,  1850,  you  will  oblige  me  by 
furnishing  me  with  copies  of  any  other  instructions  or  credentials  which 
you  possess  relating  to  your  appointment  in  the  commission. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Prin.  Astr.,  8fc.,  8fc.,  8ft'.,  Santa  Rita  del  Cobre, 


No.  9G. 


Colonel  Graham  to  Mr,  Bartlett, 

Copper  Mines,  August  6,  1851. 

Sir:  I have  just  received  your  note  of  to-day,  and  in  reply  have  to 
state  that  I have  no  “credentials”  of  my  appointment  as  principal 
astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States  in  the  boundary  commission,  other  than  an  official  copy  of  the 
instructions  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  addressed  to  you  under 
date  of  October  23d  last,  and  the  letter  of  the  department  enclosing 
them  to  me,  of  the  same  date,  which  I read  to  you  in  your  office  yes- 
terday, which  letter  charges  me  with  the  duty  of  superintending  the 
equipment  of  the  astronomical  and  surveying  apparatus  for  the  fine, 
and  informs  me  officially  that  both  you  and  myself  are  to  be  governed 
by  the  said  instructions  to  you  of  October  23,  a copy  of  which  letter 
.to  me  I herewith  enclose. 

The  fact  is,  no  additional  credentials  are  necessary.  My  position  and 
.duties  are  as  fully  defined  in  those  instructions,  and  as  clearly,  as  they 
possibly  could  be,  and  I feel  assured  that  no  little  surprise  will  be 
.created  in  the  minds  of  the  President  and  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
.that  you  should  entertain  any  doubts  whatever  in  regard  to  the  matter. 
However,  I await  very  respectfully  the  reasons,  in  writing,  which  you 
promised  me  this  morning. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Prin.  Astr.  and  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps . 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

V . S.  Commissioner,  fyc.,  8fc.,  fyc.,  Present. 


No.  97. 


Colonel  Graham  to  Lieutenant  Tillinghast . 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  6,  1851. 

Sir  : Except  the  issues  to  the  members  of  the  scientific  corps,  and 

tthe  men  employed  and  now  stationed  at  Frontera,  you  will  please  make 


S.  Doc.  121. 


147 


no  issues  of  provisions  or  property,  unless  on  requisitions  communicated 
through  me,  with  my  approval  attached  thereto. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 


Lieut . Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps , fyc.,  fyc., 

U.  S.  Boundary  Commission . 


Lieut.  O.  H.  Tillinghast, 

Quartermaster  and  Commissary , U.  S.  B.  C .,  Fr outer  a. 


No.  98. 

Mr.  John  Bull  to  Lieutenant  Whipple . 

Santa  Rita  del  Cobre, 

August  6,  1851. 

Sir:  Your  “circular”  note  of  the  5th  instant,  relative  to  instruments, 
came  duly  to  hand. 

1 take  this  opportunity  to  state  that,  recently,  our  official  relations 
have  essentially  changed;  that  I have  been  instructed  by  the  commis- 
sioner to  report  to  A.  B.  Gray,  esq.,  chief  surveyor  of  the  United  States 
boundary  commission,  under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  and  that 
I have  accordingly  done  so. 

Under  existing  circumstances,  I have  thought  proper  to  withhold  an 
answer  to  your  note,  until  I might  have  an  opportunity  of  consulting 
with  Mr.  Bartlett  upon  the  disposition  of  the  instruments  in  my  charge, 
and  for  which  I had  given  receipts,  and  now,  in  conformity  with  direc- 
tions  from  him , I most  cheerfully  turn  them  over  to  you. 

The  following  list  comprises  all  the  instruments  received  from  you, 
excepting  one  plumb-line,  which  was  lost:  One  azimuth  compass,  by 

Lewart,  with  tripod,  &c.;  one  azimuth  compass,  by  Gambey,  with  tri- 
pod, &c. ; one  prismatic  compass,  with  staff;  one  reconnoitring  and 
protracting  instrument,  after  the  plan  of  Sir  Howard  Douglas;  one  lev- 
elling-rod (broken  by  accident;)  one  100-feet  chain  and  nine  pins;  two 
50-feet  tape-lines ; one  ivory  protractor  and  scale ; one  right-line  draw- 
ing pen. 

You  will  please  send  me,  by  the  bearer,  a receipt  for  the  above  enu- 
merated instruments. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  BULL, 

First  Assistant  Surveyor , U.  S.  B.  C . 

Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple, 

Topographical  Engineers , U.  S.  A.,  Sfc.,  fyc.,  t$t\, 

Camp  at  Santa  Rita  del  Cobre , Present . 


148 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  99. 


Colonel  Graham's  plan  for  conducting  the  joint  survey  and  demarcation  of 
the  boundary , under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo . 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  6,  1851. 

Sir:  With  a view  to  expedite  the  survey  and  demarcation  of  the 
boundary  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  and  to  bring  the 
whole  work  to  as  early  a termination  as  shall  be  consistent  with  a 
proper  regard  to  accuracy,  I beg  leave  to  submit  to  you,  for  the  con- 
sideration of  the  joint  commission  of  the  two  governments,  the  follow- 
ing plan  of  operations  to  be  entered  into  immediately,  viz : 

That  the  line  between  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  mouth 
of  the  river  Gila  shall  be  divided  into  two  divisions,  to  be  called  the 
eastern  and  western  divisions  ; the  eastern  division  to  extend  from  the 
highest  point  of  boundary  on  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  mouth  of  that 
river,  and  thence  three  leagues  from  land,  opposite  to  said  mouth,  into 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  in  accordance  with  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo. 

The  western  division  to  extend  from  the  aforesaid  highest  point  of 
boundary  on  the  Rio  Grande  across  the  country  until  the  line  inter- 
sects the  first  branch  of  the  river  Gila,  as  provided  in  the  treaty,  and 
thence  down  the  said  branch  and  river  to  its  mouth. 

That  each  division  shall  be  subdivided  into  two  portions,  to  be 
called  subdivision  1st,  and  subdivision  2d,  as  follows,  viz : 

FOR  THE  EASTERN  DIVISION. 

Subdivision  1st. — To  consist  of  that  portion  included  between  the 
aforesaid  highest  point  on  the  Rio  Grande,  thence  down  that  river  to 
the  mouth  of  the  river  Pecos,  or  Puerco. 

Subdivision  2d. — To  extend  from  the  mouth  of  the  said  river  Pecos, 
or  Puerco,  down  the  Rio  Grande  to  its  mouth,  and  thence  three  leagues 
from  land,  opposite  the  said  mouth,  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  as  before 
mentioned,  and  in  accordance  with  the  treaty.  The  distance  of  three 
leagues  to  be  accurately  sounded  to  a width  necessary  to  show  upon 
the  map  the  best  channel  for  the  entrance  of  the  vessels  of  the  two 
republics  into  the  river. 

FOR  THE  WESTERN  DIVISION. 

Siibdivision  1st. — To  consist  of  the  line  across  the  country  from  the 
Rio  Grande  to  the  first  branch  of  the  river  Gila,  as  described  in  the 
treaty. 

Subdivision  2d. — To  extend  from  the  aforesaid  point  on  the  first 
branch  of  the  river  Gila,  down  that  branch  and  river  to  its  mouth,  in 
accordance  with  the  treaty. 

It  is  considered  that  the  surveys  down  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Gila 
need  not  be  attended  with  a triangulation. 

Although  the  most  accurate,  this  is,  at  the  same  time,  an  expensive 


S.  Doc  121.  149 

and  slow  mode  of  proceeding,  and  is  not  necessary  to  the  satisfactory 
accomplishment  of  the  object  committed  to  the  joint  commission. 

It  will  be  sufficient  if  the  shores  of  these  streams  are  laid  down 
by  simple  traverse  work  with  small,  light  theodolites,  or  surveyor’s 
compasses,  and  the  measurements  made  with  the  chain. 

The  run  of  the  work  to  be  corrected  by  determinations  of  latitude  and 
longitude  from  astronomical  observations  at  suitable  points;  these  points 
to  be  connected  in  longitude  by  observing  signals  made  by  flashes  of 
gunpowder,  &c.,  compared  with  the  local  time,  provided  it  is  found 
practicable  without  retarding  the  progress  of  the  surveys.  The  two 
.shores  of  these  two  rivers  respectively  to  be  connected  in  relative 
position  by  offsets  measured  or  observed  across  as  often  as  may  be 
necessary,  to  lay  them  down  of  correct  width  upon  the  maps.  The 
course  of  the  deepest  channel  of  the  Rio  Grande,  where  it  has  more 
than  one,  to  be  determined  by  such  soundings  as  may  be  necessary  to 
.satisfy  the  surveyors  on  both  sides  who  may  be  charged  with  the 
operations. 

THE  MARKING  OF  THE  LINE. 

The  fifth  article  of  the  treaty  requires  that  the  boundary  line  shall 
be  designated  by  landmarks  established  upon  the  ground,  which  shall 
show  the  limits  of  both  republics,  as  described  in  the  said  article. 

The  only  portions  of  the  line  included  between  the  mouth  of  the 
Rio  Grande  and  the  mouth  of  the  Gila,  which  will  require  thus  to  be 
marked,  are  the  islands  in  the  Rio  Grande,  which  are  said  to  be  but 
few  in  number,  and  the  line  across  the  country,  between  the  waters  of 
the  said  rivers. 

Various  modes  have  been  resorted  to  by  nations  for  marking  their  con- 
terminous limits  on  land.  Sometimes  mounds  of  earth  or  of  stones,  piled 
up  six  or  seven  feet  high,  have  been  adopted;  sometimes  posts  of 
timber,  charred  to  preserve  them  from  decay,  have  been  inserted  in 
the  ground  lor  this  purpose.  On  Mason  and  Dixon’s  line,  run  to  divide 
the  provinces  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania,  which  was  completed 
in  the  year  1768,  posts  of  stone,  with  appropriate  inscriptions  on  the 
sides  facing  the  respective  territories,  were  resorted  to.  On  the  north- 
eastern boundary  of  the  United  States,  run  and  marked  in  the  years 
1843,  ’44,  and  ’45,  posts  of  cast-iron,  with  suitable  inscriptions  formed 
in  the  casting,  were  used  with  great  economy,  and  their  durability 
gives  them  a decided  preference  over  all  others,  provided  they  can  be 
oast  within  such  distance  of  the  line  as  to  confine  the  expense  of  trans- 
portation within  reasonable  limits.  This  may  be  found  practicable. 
If  so,  I would  recommend  their  being  adopted.  Those  for  the  islands 
in  the  Rio  Grande  should  have  brief  inscriptions  indicating  the  repub- 
lic to  whose  jurisdiction  they  may  respectively  belong. 

As  principal  astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps  on  the  part 
of  the  United  States,  I am  prepared  with  instruments  and  means  suffi- 
cient to  set  immediately  into  active  operation  the  surveys  of  both  sec- 
tions of  the  western  division,  and  of  the  first  section  of  the  eastern 
division,  and  I request  that  the  commission  on  the  part  of  Mexico  may 


150  S.  Doc.  121. 

be  invited  to  co-operate  with  us  in  pushing  the  work  forward  upon  this 
plan  without  delay. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col.,  Principal  Astronomer  and  Head  of  the 

Scientific  Corps  on  the  part  of  the  United  States . 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  £sq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner. 


No.  100. 

Mr.  Gray  to  Colonel  Graham. 

Encampment,  Santa  Rita  del  Cobre, 

August  7,  1851. 

My  Dear  Sir  : I have  been  instructed  by  the  commissioner,  Miv 
Bartlett,  to  prepare  and  submit  to  him  a programme  of  the  entire  force, 
together  with  instruments,  subsistence,  &c.,  which  will  be  required  on 
my  part,  to  aid  in  running,  tracing,  and  marking  that  portion  of  the 
boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico  which  runs  along 
the  Gila  river,  agreeable  to  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  and  in 
conformity  with  the  decision  of  the  joint  commission. 

1 am  instructed  by  the  commissioner  to  understand  that  he  refers 
alone  to  the  linear  survey,  and  not  to  any  astronomical  duties  which 
may  have  to  be  performed.  I have  prepared  the  programme  in  com- 
pliance with  his  orders,  therefore,  and  in  accordance  with  my  instruc- 
tions from  the  department  of  October  23,  1S50 ; but  my  wish  is  now 
to  aid  and  assist  you  in  your  astronomical  and  scientific  duties,  to  con- 
sult and  co-operate  with  you  upon  all  points,  as  I have  heretofore  stated 
and  desired;  knowing  that  you  wall  not  expect  me,  in  any  such 
co-operation,  to  swerve  from  the  spirit  and  text  of  my  commission, 
based  as  it  is  upon  the  sacred  obligations  of  a treaty,  and  bearing  the 
signature  of  the  President  and  seal  of  the  Department  of  State. 

Let  not  a mere  difference  of  interpretation  in  the  meaning  of  instruc- 
tions from  the  department  to  the  commissioner,  prevent  us  from  a 
harmonious  co-operation.  Let  it  not  interfere  with  the  public  interest, 
particularly  at  so  critical  and  delicate  a period  in  which  the  commis- 
sions of  both  nations  are  now  placed  towards  each  other.  It  is  a 
moment  when  the  solemn  obligations  which  we  are  under  to  our 
country  requires  all  our  united  energies  to  sustain  her  just  rights,  and 
in  carrying  out  fully  the  stipulations  of  the  treaty. 

Before  presenting  to  the  commissioner  this  programme,  in  compliance 
with  his  order,  appoint  any  hour  that  may  be  convenient  to  you,  and  I 
wall  call  at  your  camp  and  consult  with  you,  and  endeavor  to  agree 
upon  a co-operation  which  shall  be  perfectly  satisfactory  to  us  both. 
I am  sure  every  effort  will  be  directed  on  your  part,  as  well  as  on  mine, 
to  further  the  progress  of  this  work  by  complying  with  the  decisions 
of  the  joint  commission.  It  is  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  that 


S Doc.  121. 


151 


peace  and  harmony,  and  concert  of  action,  which  alone  can  enable  us 
to  meet  the  high  expectations  of  our  government. 

With  high  esteem  and  consideration,  very  faithfully  and  truly,  I re- 
main yours,  &c.,  &c., 

A.  B.  GRAY. 


Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

U.  S.  A .,  Principal  Astronomer , Sfc.,  Sfc. 


No.  101. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Gray . 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  7,  1851. 

My  Dear  Sir:  I have  just  had  the  honor  to  receive  your  letter  of 
this  date  by  the  hands  of  Mr.  Prioleau.  I regret  to  be  obliged  to  say 
that  I cannot  answer  the  official  parts  of  it  until  I shall  have  received 
from  Mr.  Bartlett,  United  States  commissioner,  the  reasons  in  writing, 
which  he  assured  me  he  would  give  me,  for  having  refused,  yesterday 
morning,  in  the  presence  of  nearly  all  the  scientific  corps,  to  acknowl- 
edge the  authority  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  contained  in 
the  instructions  to  him  of  October  23d  last,  which  he  undertook  to  de- 
clare to  be  in  violation  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo.  I am 
now  awaiting  those  reasons  and  the  acknowledgment,  by  the  commis- 
sioner, of  the  President’s  authority  in  the  case,  and  of  the  position  he 
has  been  pleased  to  assign  to  me.  In  the  mean  time  it  will  give  me 
great  pleasure  to  see  you  at  my  quarters,  and  to  continue  to  cultivate 
that  friendship  and  regard  which  have  so  long  subsisted  between  us. 

So  far  from  my  being  capable  of  wishing  to  see  you  swerve  from 
any  of  the  duties  or  obligations  of  the  high  post  of  trust  which  the 
President  and  Senate  have  conferred  upon  you  in  this  commission,  I 
am,  and  always  have  been,  ready  to  acknowledge  and  respect  it.  I 
conceive  that  it  in  nowise  clashes  with  that  to  which  the  President  has 
been  pleased  to  assign  me,  as  principal  astronomer  and  head  of  the 
scientific  corps,  and  which  it  is  my  duty  to  maintain. 

In  regard  to  the  delay  which  has  grown  out  of  this  state  of  affairs,  in 
pushing  forward  the  work,  the  responsibility  must  rest  where  it  is  due. 

I have  not  only  procured,  or  superintended,  the  making  of  all  the 
instruments  and  apparatus  which  are  to  give  life  and  action  to  the  sci- 
entific corps  in  the  field,  but  I have  watchfully  superintended  their  trans- 
portation from  our  northern  cities  to  this  place.  I have  made  every 
possible  effort  in  my  power  to  prevent  delays,  and  my  great  anxiety 
is  to  see  the  work  advanced,  at  the  same  time  that  I claim  to  have  the 
authority  of  the  President  respected  in  regard  to  my  position. 

It  will  give  me  great  pleasure,  my  dear,  sir,  to  see  you,  and  to  unite 
with  you  in  bringing  this  matter  to  that  issue  which  shall  rightfully 
promote  the  progress  of  the  work. 

I remain,  with  great  regard,  yours,  very  truly, 

A.  B.  Gray,  Esq.,  Sfc.,  Sfc.,  Sfc.,  Present. 


J.  D.  GRAHAM. 


152 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  102. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham . 


Headquarters  U.  S.  Boundary  Commission, 

Santa  llita  del  Cobre , August  7,  1851# 
Sir:  In  your  letter  of  yesterday  you  say,  “I  have  to  request  that  you 
will,  as  soon  as  convenient,  give  me  in  writing  your  reasons  for  refusing, 
as  you  did,  at  your  office  this  morning,  in  presence  of  nearly  all  the 
members  of  the  scientific  corps  whom  you  had  assembled  there  to  meet 
me,  to  receive  and  recognise  me  in  the  capacity  of  principal  astrono- 
mer and  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
to  assist  you  in  running,  tracing,  and  marking  the  line  of  boundary  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Mexico,  under  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty 
of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo — a position  to  which  you  were  instructed  by 
the  Department  of  the  Interior,  under  date  of  October  23,  1850,  I was 
appointed.”  In  reply  I will  state,  that  the  gentlemen  were  assembled 
on  this  occasion  by  your  particular  request  to  me  on  the  day  previous. 
In  your  letter  to  me  of  the  2d  instant,  you  “ request  that  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  of  the  23d  of  October  last,  de- 
fining my  [your]  position,  may  be  officially  made  known  to  the  corps.” 
In  reply,  on  the  4th  instant,  I stated  that,  “ immediately  on  the  reorgani- 
zation being  completed,  I would  take  the  necessary  steps  to  make 
known  to  the  heads  of  the  several  parties  the  instructions  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  Interior  of  the  23d  October  last,  and,  through  them, 
cause  your  true  position  to  be  communicated  to  all  under  them.” 

My  object  in  deferring  this  announcement  was,  as  stated  to  you  at 
one  of  our  interviews,  that  the  reorganization  to  be  made  by  us  might 
be  first  completed,  as  a considerable  diminution  was  to  be  made  in  the 
commission  by  order  of  the  department. 

At  the  second  interview  we  discussed  more  plainly  the  position  you 
were  appointed  to  fill  as  “principal  astronomer  and  head  of  the  scien- 
tific corps,”  in  which  there  was  a great  diversity  of  opinion  with  regard 
to  what  is  meant  by  “scientific  corps.”  In  fact,  there  was  a direct 
conflict  in  our  views.  Hence  was  more  clearly  seen  the  propriety  of 
my  deferring  the  announcement  of  your  position  until  this  was  amicably 
settled.  At  your  departure  from  my  office  you  requested  an  introduc- 
tion to  the  members  as  a favor.  I assented,  and  proposed  that  this  in- 
troduction should  take  place  the  following  morning  at  10  o’clock.  The 
members  of  the  commission,  including  those  attached  to  the  astronomi- 
cal and  surveying  parties,  clerks,  and  other  officers,  assembled  accord- 
ingly, and  were  separately  introduced  by  me  to  you  as  Colonel  Graha  m. 
After  an  hour  spent  in  familiar  conversation,  I announced  to  the  party 
that  my  object  in  inviting  them  to  my  quarters  was,  that  they  might  be 
personally  and  officially  introduced  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham,  of 
the  topographical  engineers,  who  had  been  detailed  as  principal  as- 
tronomer, &c.,  to  assist  me  in  running,  tracing,  and  marking  the  line  of 
boundary  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  under  the  fifth  article 
of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo.” 

With  your  position  as  “ head  of  the  scientific  corps”  so  imperfectly 
understood  by  us,  I deemed  it  improper  to  announce  you  in  that  capacity, 


S.  Doc.  121. 


153 


as  it  would  at  once  lead  to  interminable  difficulties  and  contentions ; 
for,  according  to  your  interpretation  of  the  term,  you  would  at  once 
take  under  your  control  every  officer  and  assistant  in  the  commission — 
from  Mr.  Gray,  the  United  States  surveyor,  downwards — connected 
with  the  astronomical  and  surveying  parties.  After  the  introduction 
referred  to,  you  requested  me  verbally  to  read  my  instructions  of  the 
23d  of  October  last,  from  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  defining  more 
fully  your  position.  In  reply  I stated  that,  after  mature  reflection,  I 
had  decided  not  to  read  these  instructions,  announcing  your  position  as- 
“ head  of  the  scientific  corps,”  as  we  differed  so  essentially  in  the  in- 
terpretation of  these  words ; and  that  it  was  not  a proper  subject  for 
public  discussion.  You  still  urged  it,  and,  for  the  reasons  stated,  I as 
strenuously  declined,  deeming  it  undignified  and  improper.  These  are 
my  reasons  for  not  acknowledging  you  as  “head  of  the  scientific  corps” 
on  the  occasion  referred  to. 

I cannot  but  express  my  surprise  that  a gentleman  so  well  acquaint- 
ed with  the  proper  course  to  be  pursued  in  such  cases  should,  for  a 
moment,  entertain  the  opinion  that  the  “members  of  the  scientific 
corps”  were,  or  would  be,  by  me  assembled  for  the  purpose  by  you 
above  specified,  having  at  the  time  in  your  possession  my  letter  of  the 
4th  instant,  already  referred  to,  wherein  I decline  doing  anything  of  the 
kind  until  certain  preliminaries  are  arranged. 

I am  now  preparing,  as  promised,  a written  opinion  as  to  my  inter- 
pretation of  the  instructions  referred  to,  which  shall  be  transmitted  to 
you  immediately. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Principal  Astronomer , <5*c.,  fyc. 


No.  103. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 

Copper  Mixes  of  Santa  Rita, 

An  gust  8,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 

yesterday  at  a late  hour  of  the  afternoon. 

I await  the  written  opinion,  which  you  inform  me  will  be  transmitted 
to  me  immediately.  When  it  is  received,  I will  reply  to  both  in  one 
communication. 

In  the  mean  time,  to  prevent  further  loss  of  time,  I beg  to  submit  to 
you  the  accompanying  general  plan  for  field  operations,*  which  I had 
prepared,  to  hand  to  you  on  the  6th  instant,  but  which  was  not  presented, 
in  consequence  of  the  occurrence  at  your  office  that  day.  I am  ready  to 
assist  you  in  carrying  out  this  plan,  under  the  instructions  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior  of  October  23d  last,  in  the  capacity  therein  assigned 


See  No.  99  of  this  Appendix. 


154  S.  Doc.  121. 

me,  should  it  meet  the  approval  of  the  joint  commission  of  both  govern- 
ments. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Col .,  Principal  Astr.  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps , 

on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner , fyc.,  fyc.,  Present . 


No.  104. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Lieutenant  Burnside . 

Santa  Rita  del  Cobre,  August  8,  1851. 
Sir:  I have  to  request  that  subsistence  be  furnished  to  H.  C.  Pratt, 
draughtsman,  and  his  son,  John  Pratt,  both  of  whom  are  members  of 
the  boundary  commission. 

For  the  appointment  of  these  gentlemen  I hold  myself  responsible. 
Yours,  respectfully, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT,  Commissioner. 

Lieut.  Burxside, 

Quartermaster  and  Commissary , U.  S.  B.  C. 


No.  105. 


Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett . 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  8,  1851. 

Sir:  Lieutenant  Burnside,  quartermaster  and  commissary  to  the 

boundary  commission,  has  shown  me  your  requisition  on  him  for  provis- 
ions for  Mr.  H.  C.  Pratt,  draughtsman,  and  his  son,  Mr.  John  Pratt,  who 
you  state  are  members  of  the  boundary  commission. 

These  gentlemen  arrived  here  yesterday,  and  having  not  been  ad- 
mitted members  of  the  scientific  corps,  I trust  you  will,  on  reflection,  see 
that  I could  not  authorize  the  issue  of  provisions  to  them  from  the  bound- 
ary stores,  under  the  responsibilities  imposed  upon  me  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior. 

The  instructions  of  the  department  particularly  state  that  the  selec- 
tion of  draughtsmen,  and  other  members  of  the  scientific  corps,  is  to  be 
approved  by  both  you  and  myself,  due  regard  being  had  to  their  scien- 
tific qualifications.  Now  I understand  that  Mr.  Pratt — a gentleman  for 
whom  I have  great  regard — is  an  artist,  and  not  a scientific  draughts- 
man. Until  I can  have  an  opportunity  to  satisfy  myself  and  you  on  this 
point,  as  my  instructions  from  the  department  require,  you  will  see  that 
I could  not  approve  the  requisition  in  their  behalf,  as  members  of  the 
scientific  corps. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


155 


In  my  instructions  to  Lieutenant  Burnside,  of  July  13th,  in  regard  to 
the  rule  which  will  govern  issues,  I stated,  “any  requisition  which  the 
commissioner  may  make  for  his  own  subsistence  will  be  honored.” 

As  your  guests,  these  gentlemen  can  easily  be  provided  for  until  their 
cases  are  disposed  of,  as  those  of  Mr.  Clark  and  Mr.  Wright  are,  who 
are  considered  as  my  guests  and  are  provided  for  at  my  expense,  until 
regularly  admitted. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col .,  Prin.  Astr.  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S . Commissioner , fyc.,  fyc.,  fyc. 

No.  106. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham. 

Headquarters  U.  S.  Boundary  Commission, 

Santa  Rita  del  Cobre , August  8,  1S5 1. 

Sir  : The  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  under  date  of  October  23,  1850, 
informs  me  that  you  had  “ been  detailed  as  principal  astronomer  and 
head  of  the  scientific  corps,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  to  assist 
you  [me]  in  running,  tracing,  and  marking  the  line  of  boundary  between 
the  United  States  and  Mexico,  under  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo,”  and  that  }mu  “ will  be  received  and  recognised 
in  that  capacity.” 

I am  willing  to  receive  you  as  directed  by  the  Hon.  Secretary  of 
the  Interior ; but  as  there  seems  to  be  a very  broad  difference  of  opin- 
ion between  you  and  myself  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  words  “head  of 
the  scientific  corps,”  it  is  my  duty  to  explain  them  as  I understand 
them.  I think  the  misunderstanding  arises,  in  a great  measure,  from 
the  unquestionably  accidental  omission  of  the  word  “ topographical,” 
which  preceded  the  term  “ scientific  corps”  in  the  instructions  given  to 
your  predecessors. 

After  examining  the  instructions  of  my  predecessors,  wherein  the 
duties  of  chief  astronomer,  &c.,  are  defined,  it  is  my  opinion  that  the 
duties  of  this  officer  are,  to  “determine  all  astronomical  points,  and  to 
direct  the  mode  of  running  all  astronomical  lines ;”  also,  as  head  of 
the  topographical  scientific  corps,  to  take  the  immediate  charge  of,  and 
to  give  written  and  verbal  instructions  to,  all  parties  of  that  corps  on 
duty  in  the  field  aiding  the  United  States  surveyor  or  his  party,  and  to 
parties  stationed  at  astronomical  observatories  or  elsewhere,  the  great 
object  had  in  view,  and  steadily  kept  in  view,  being,  “to  assist ” me  in 
running,  tracing,  and  marking  the  line  of  boundary. 

My  instructions  of  October  23,  1S50,  also  state,  “ he  [Colonel  Gra- 
ham] will  meet  with  the  joint  commission  of  the  two  governments,  and 
will  aid  you  [me]  in  digesting  and  arranging  (in  concurrence  wiih  the 
Mexican  commissioner  and  his  associates)  the  plan  of  operations  in  the 
field,  (taking  care  to  observe  the  terms  of  the  treaty,)  and  in  organi- 
zing parties  and  in  giving  the  necessary  directions  to  subordinates.” 

The  first  clause,  stating  that  “you  will  meet  with  the  joint  cominis- 


156 


S.  Doc.  121. 


sion  of  the  two  governments,”  is  in  direct  violation  with  the  terms  of 
the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty,  which  acknowledges  but  two  officers, 
viz  : “ a commissioner  and  a surveyor.”  Furthermore,  General  Conde, 
the  Mexican  commissioner,  has  stated,  at  the  meetings  of  the  joint  com- 
mission, that  he  could  not,  and  would  not,  acknowledge  the  claim  of 
any  person  to  take  a seat  at  the  board  save  those  authorized  in  the 
article  referred  to.  The  claim  so  strongly  urged  and  reiterated  by 
you  at  our  interviews,  to  a seat  there,  cannot,  therefore,  be  acknowl- 
edged. 

With  regard  to  your  aid  in  “ digesting  and  arranging  the  plan  of 
operations  in  the  field,  and  in  organizing  parties  and  in  giving  the 
necessary  instructions  to  subordinates,”  I shall  most  gladly  avail  my- 
self of  it,  and  am  willing  to  consult  you  in  all  the  plans,  organizations, 
and  directions  which  appertain  to  your  position  as  “principal  astrono- 
mer and  head  of  the  scientific  corps,”  as  I understand  and  have  ex- 
plained the  duties  of  that  office. 

But,  in  devising  plans  and  making  organizations,  I cannot  interfere 
with  the  prerogative  of  Andrew  B.  Gray,  esq.,  appointed  by  the  Presi- 
dent surveyor,  under  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty.  Mr.  Gray  is  com- 
missioned and  instructed  in  terms  which  cannot  be  misunderstood, 
and  his  duties  under  the  treaty  are  so  explicit  that  they  cannot  be  mis- 
interpreted : consequently  the  claim  so  strenuously  advanced  by  you, 
at  our  two  late  interviews,  that  in  case  Mr.  Gray  entered  the  field  in 
the  performance  of  his  duties  as  surveyor,  he  must  receive  his  instructions 
from  and  report  to  you , I cannot  for  a moment  recognise.  I have  been 
honored  by  the  President  with  the  appointment  of  commissioner,  under 
the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo ; I have  been  duly 
commissioned  and  sworn  to  carry  oat  the  solemn  stipulations  of  that 
article  ; I have  received  my  instructions  (a  copy  of  which  you  possess) 
in  reference  to  them,  and  these,  as  in  duty  hound , I shall  obey . 

It  is  recommended  to  me  “ that  such  a reorganization  of  the  scientific 
corps,  on  our  side,  should  take  place  as  soon  as  practicable,”  “as  will 
tend  to  promote  the  progress  of  the  important  work  before”  me  “ and 
bring  it  to  as  early  a completion  as  practicable.”  In  this  work,  $s  ad- 
vised, I shall  be  most  happy  to  receive  your  co-operation. 

“ It  is  recommended  that  the  scientific  corps,  on  our  side,  be  placed 
under  the  immediate  direction  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham,  to  re- 
ceive from  him  such  written  and  verbal  instructions  as  he  may  deem 
necessary  to  a full  understanding  of  the  duties  to  be  performed  on  all 
parts  of  the  work,  and  that  all  reports  be  made  to  him,”  &c.,  &c.  I 
heartily  approve  of  this  recommendation , confining  the  instructions  and 
directions  to  parties  whose  duties  appertain  to  the  topographical  and 
astronomical  corps,  instead  of  extending  them  so  as  to  subject  the  sur- 
veyor under  the  treaty  to  your  orders  or  control  so  long  as  he  is  exer- 
cising the  authority  and  discharging  the  duties  incumbent  on  him  by 
the  terms  of  his  commission  and  the  treaty. 

Whilst  I acknowledge  the  propriety  of  the  subordinates  making  their 
reports  to  you,  I would  state  that  I expect  these,  with  whatever  per- 
tains to  them,  will  be  transmitted  by  you  to  me,  as  head  of  the  com- 
mission, and  be  disposed  of  in  no  other  manner. 

I exceedingly  regret  that  there  should  be  any  misunderstanding  be- 


S.  Doc.  121. 


157 


tween  us  as  to  the  interpretation  of  my  instructions  and  the  treaty  stip- 
ulations ; and  that  increased  obstacles  should,  in  consequence,  be  thrown 
in  the  way  of  prosecuting  the  important  work  before  me,  which  has 
already  been  delayed  so  long  by  circumstances  entirely  beyond  my 
control.  But  the  solemn  treaty  between  the  two  governments ; my 
oath  to  see  the  stipulations  of  the  fifth  article  of  that  treaty  strictly  en- 
forced ; the  duty  I owe  to  the  United  States  surveyor — holding  office, 
like  myself,  under  that  treaty — whose  rights  I am  bound  to  protect ; 
all  convince  me  of  the  justice  of  my  course,  and  that  the  interpretation 
I have  put  upon  my  instructions  is  right,  and  should  be  by  me  en- 
forced, and  will  be  by  our  government  sustained. 

In  case  it  should  eventually  be  found  that  we  cannot  agree  on  the 
subject  at  issue,  I shall,  of  course,  refer  the  whole  matter  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior  for  adjustment,  and  despatch  a messenger  for  the 
purpose  to  Washington.  Wishing  to  treat  you  with  the  utmost 
courtesy,  I give  this  notice,  that,  if  desirable,  you  may  avail  yourself 
of  the  opportunity  to  transmit  letters,  &c. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Principal  Astronomer , 4*c.,  Sfc.,  §‘c. 

P.  S. — I have  deferred  sending  this  letter  in  order  that  I might  re- 
ceive a reply  from  A.  B.  Gray,  esq.,  to  one  which  I addressed  him, 
inquiring  his  opinion  relative  to  his  powers,  rights,  and  duties,  under 
the  treaty  and  by  his  commission.  His  answer  confirms  me  in  the 
position  I have  above  taken  relative  to  the  surveyor. 

J.  R.  B. 


No.  107. 

•* 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  9,  1851. 

Sir  : In  order  that  I may  be  the  better  prepared  to  co-operate  with 
you  in  the  duty  of  reorganizing  the  scientific  corps  of  the  United  States 
boundary  commission  so  soon  as  I am  recognised  by  you  in  the  posi- 
tion assigned  me  by  direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  I 
have  respectfully  to  request  that  you  will,  as  soon  as  convenient,  fur- 
nish me  with  a list  showing  the  names,  occupation,  or  station,  and  the 
rate  of  compensation,  of  the  members  of  the  scientific  corps,  emploves, 
&c.,  now  attached  to  the  commission. 

Much  time  will,  I conceive,  be  saved  by  your  compliance  with  this 
request,  as  it  will  enable  me  to  compare  the  present  organization  with 
that  which  I shall  have  occasion  to  suggest  as  sufficient  to  carry  on  the 
field  operations  upon  the  plan  I had  the  honor  to  submit  to  you  yester- 


15S  S.  Doc.  121. 

day  for  the  consideration  of  the  joint  commission  of  the  two  govern- 
ments. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col. , Principal  Astronomer  and  Head  of  the  Scientific 

Corps  on  the  part  of  the  United  States . 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner , fyc.,  fye.,  fyc. 

N.  B. — Mr.  Bartlett  positively  refused  to  give  me  the  information 
asked  for  in  the  above  letter,  and  hence  I have  been  unable  to  form 
any  idea  of  the  expenses  incident  to  this  boundary  survey. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  and  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps . 


No.  10S. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett . 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  9,  Ip.  m.,  18*51. 

Sir  : Before  I proceed  to  reply  to  your  communication  of  the  8th 
instant,  which  I received  an  hour  ago,  I must  request  that  }mu  will 
furnish  me  with  a copy  of  Mr.  Gray’s  letter  to  you,  alluded  to  in  }rour 
postscript,  as  you  state  that  his  opinions  relative  to  his  powers,  rights, 
and  duties,  confirm  you  in  your  position.  If  my  request  is  acceded  to, 
I will,  with  your  permission,  call  at  your  office  immediately  for  the 
purpose  of  perusing  it  in  anticipation  of  the  copy,  in  order  to  expedite 
my  reply,  and  thus  save  time. 

I await  your  answer,  and  remain*  very  respectfully,  your  obedient 
servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Principal  Astr.  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps. 

J.  R,  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner . 


No.  109. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham » 

Santa  Rita  del  Cobre,  August  9,  1851. 
Sir  : I have  yours  of  this  evening,  requesting  me  to  furnish  you  a 
copy  of  Mr.  Gray’s  letter,  referred  to  in  mine  under  date  of  yesterday. 
In  reply,  I have  to  state  that  this  letter  is  not  now  in  my  possession. 
Furthermore,  as  Mr.  Gray  is  in  camp  at  this  place,  it  seems  to  me  that 
the  most  proper  course  for  3rou  to  pursue  is  to  apply  to  him  for  a copy. 
I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT,  Commissioner . 
Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Principal  Astronomer , 


S.  Doc.  121. 


159 


No.  110. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr,  Bartlett . 

Copper  Mines,  August  9,  1851. 

Sir  : It  is  with  great  surprise  that  I have  just  perused  your  note 
in  reply  to  mine  of  this  evening.  I protest  that  the  opinion  of  Mr. 
Gray,  which  was  called  for  by  you  officially,  upon  a subject  of  grave 
public  concern,  and  which  was  rendered  to  you  in  writing,  and  con- 
tained arguments  which  it  would  appear  exercised  a great  influence 
over  your  mind  in  causing  you  to  decide  upon  a course  in  direct  oppo- 
sition to  the  instructions  of  the  President,  should,  and  must  of  right, 
become  a part  of  the  archives  of  the  commission  over  which  you  pre- 
side. I further  protest  that  it  is  due  to  me  that  you  cause  me  to  be 
furnished  officially  with  a copy  of  that  document,  in  order  that  I may 
have  an  opportunity  to  refute  the  arguments  it  may  contain,  and  thus 
endeavor  to  free  your  mind  from  their  influence. 

I do,  therefore,  most  respectfully  repeat  my  request,  and  I hope  you 
will  call  upon  Mr.  Gray  to  render  his  document  to  you  for  your  official 
files,  and  that  you  will  furnish  me  with  a copy  of  it. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut,  Col.,  Principal  Astr.  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner . 


No.  111. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham . 

U.  S.  Boundary  Commission", 

Santa  Rita  del  Cobre , August  11,  1851. 
Sir  : In  reply  to  your  Verbal  request  this  morning,  I enclose  the  fob 
lowing  extracts  from  my  instructions  from  the  Department  of  the  In- 
terior,  of  the  11th  March,  but  for  the  future  must  most  respectfully  de- 
cline furnishing  other  official  information  from  my  files,  or  otherwise, 
until  the  matter  now  at  issue  between  us  is  in  some  manner  disposed 
of,  excepting,  of  course,  documents  bearing  on  the  question. 

After  speaking  of  the  appropriation,  the  Secretary  requests  me  to 
“ reorganize  the  commission  at  once,  and  curtail  the  force  employed  to 
the  lowest  possible  limit  consistent  with  a proper  discharge  of  the  busi- 
ness connected  with  the  service.”  # 

That  “ two  officers  of  the  army,  to  act  as  quartermaster  and  commis- 
sary, will  be  ordered  to  report  accordingly,  and  it  would  seem  proper 
that  their  reports  should  be  made  hereafter  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Gra- 
ham, the  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  who  will  be  responsible  to  you.” 
Again,  that  a sum  of  money  “ will  probably  be  advanced  to  Colonel 


160  S.  Doc.  121. 

Graham,  on  his  estimates,  for  the  astronomical  and  surveying  branch  of 
the  service, 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT,  Commissioner . 
Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Principal  Astronomer , Sfc.,  Sfc.,  Sfc. 

N.  B. — There  came  enclosed  in  the  same  envelope  which  contained 
the  foregoing  communication,  the  following  list  of  names,  in  the  hand- 
writing of  John  R.  Bartlett,  esq.,  United  States  commissioner,  without 
any  note  or  communication  addressed  to  me  in  relation  to  it. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM. 


No.  112. 


List  of  the  members  of  the  Boundary  Commission,  attached  to  the  Surveying 
and  Astronomical  Corps, 


A.  B.  Gray,  United  States  Surveyor. 

Mr.  Radziminski,  Principal  Assistant  Surveyor. 

John  Bull,  1 st  Assistant  Surveyor. 

J.  H.  Prioleau,  do. 

T.  Thompson,  2d  Assistant  Surveyor. 

M.  T.  W.  Chandler,  Meteorological  Recorder. 

H.  C.  Force,  do.  do. 

J.  P.  Espy,  do.  do. 

Mr.  Houston,  do.  do. 

James  Henning,  Computer. 

J.  O’Donoghue,  do. 

H.  Campbell,  do. 

P.  Crenion,  do. 

M.  Von  Hippel,  Draughtsman. 

George  G.  Garner,  Assistant. 

T.  W.  Jones,  do. 

C.  A.  Snowden,  do. 

George  S.  Pierce,  do. 

William  White,  Jr.,  do. 

A.  P.  Wilbar,  do. 

Raymond  Nias,  do. 

C.  M.  Simms,  do. 

T.  W.  Tansill,  do. 

F.  Wheaton,  do. 

J.  A.  Phillips,  do. 

James  Steele,  William  Bausman,  J.  T.  Scott,  selected  l>y  Mr.  Gray 
to  carry  the  instruments  and  chain — Mr.  Bausman  as  clerk. 

M.  Seaton,  selected  by  Mf.  Gray  to  aid  in  surveying  duties. 


R 


The  preceding  is  a true  copy  of  a list  in  the  handwriting  of  John 
. Bartlett,  esq.,  commissioner. 

A.  W.  WHIPPLE, 

Lieut,  U*  S,  Topographical  Engineers » 


161 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  113. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Headquarters  U.  S.  Boundary  Commission, 

Santa  Rita  del  Cohre , N.  M.,  August  12,  1851. 

Sir:  Mr.  A.  B.  Gray,  United  States  surveyor,  under  the  treat^of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  has  sent  me  a memorandum  of  surveying  instru- 
ments which  he  will  require  for  his  duties  in  running,  tracing,  and 
marking  the  boundary  line  along  the  Gila,  which  I have  to  request 
may  be  furnished  to  him  at  once.  They  are  as  follows: 

J 

2 goniometers,  or  transit  compasses. 

2 surveyor’s  compasses,  with  verniers. 

4 measuring  chains,  (2  of  100  feet  and  2 of  50  feet.) 

4 tape-lines  for  measuring,  (2  of  100  feet  and  2 of  50  feet.) 

1 standard  measure. 

2 B untin’s  barometers. 

2 detached  thermometers,  (here  on  hand.) 

1 levelling-rod,  (here  on  hand.) 

4 plumb- bobs. 

4 prismatic  compasses. 

The  joint  commission  having  agreed,  on  the  20th  of  July  last,  to  sur- 
vey the  Rio  Gila  to  its  junction  with  the  Colorado,  1 have  to  request 
that  you  will  detail  such  a party  as  you  may  deem  proper,  to  attend 
to  the  astronomical  duties  in  this  survey,  and  instruct  said  party  as 
you  may  think  advisable  for  the  important  work  to  be  accomplished. 

It  is  necessary  that  the  astronomical  party  should  be  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Rio  Prieto  by  the  23d  instant,  at  the  furthest,  on  which  day 
General  Conde  will  be  there  with  the  Mexican  commission. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT,  Commissioner.. 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Frinciyal  Astronomer , fyc.,  fyc.,  fyc. 

No.  114. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  13,  1S51.. 

Sir:  I have  already  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  your  two  commu- 
nications of  the  7th  and  8th  instant,  the  latter  received  late  on  the 
evening  of  the  9th ; and  I will  now  proceed  most  respectfully  to  reply 
to  them. 

Your  letter  of  the  7th  purports  to  be  a statement^  the  facts,  involv- 
ing all  the  important  points  as  they  occurred,  up  to  the  time  of  the- 
meeting  with  the  scientific  corps  at  your  office ; that  is  to  say,  the 
morning  of  the  6th,  when  you  declined  publicly  to  receive  and  ac- 
knowledge me,  or  to  introduce  me,  as  “ head  of  the  scientific  corps.” 

I regret  exceedingly  to  be  obliged,  injustice  to  this  subject,  which  is 
one  of  public  concern,  to  say  that  you  have  not  presented  it  throughout 
11 


162 


S.  Doc.  121 


according  to  my  views  of  the  occurrences.  In  saying  this,  I assure 
you  I intend  no  personal  disrespect.  My  object  is  to  remind  you  of 
some  important  incidents  bearing  upon  this  matter,  not  touched  on  in 
37our  letter  of  the  7th,  and  to  exonerate  myself  from  the  rebuke  you 
have  been  pleased  to  undertake  to  pass  upon  me  in  the  last  paragraph 
bift  one  of  that  letter;  in  which  you  say,  “ I cannot  but  express  my  sur- 
prise that  a gentleman  so  well  acquainted  with  the  proper  course  to  be 
pursued  in  such  cases  should,  for  a moment,  entertain  the  opinion  that 
the  ‘ members  of  the  scientific  corps’  were,  or  would  be,  by  me  assem- 
bled for  the  purpose  by  you  abov^  specified,  having  at  the  time  in  your 
possession  my  letter  of  the  4th  instant,  already  referred  to,  wherein 
I decline  doing  anything  of  the  kind  until  certain  preliminaries  are 
arranged.” 

In  my  letter  to  you  of  the  2d  instant,  I expressed  my  readiness  to 
enter  immediately  with  you  upon  the  duty  assigned  us  of  reorganizing 
the  scientific  corps.  My  letter  closed  with  these#vords : “As  a prepara- 
tory step  I have  to  request  that  the  instructions  of  the  Department  of 
the  Interior  of  the  23d  of  October  last,*  defining  my  position  and  duties, 
may  be  officially  made  known  to  the  corps.” 

This  letter  was  written  late  at  night  of  the  2d,  the  day  of  my  arrival 
here,  and  was  not  handed  to  you  until  the  morning  of  the  3d.  It  was 
answered  by  you  on  the  morning  of  the  4th,  appointing  11  o’clock  that 
morning  for  our  meeting.  You  conclude  that  letter  by  saying,  “imme- 
diately upon  the  reorganization  being  completed,  I will  take  the  neces- 
sary steps  to  make  known  to  the  heads  of  the  several  parties  4 the  in- 
structions of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  of  the  23d  October  last,’ 
;and,  through  them,  cause  your  true  position,  &c.,  to  be  communicated 
tto  all  under  them.” 

I confess,  at  the  time  I did  not  think  this  was  the  proper  routine  of 
proceeding ; but  I was  unwilling  at  the  outset  to  raise  points  with  you 
in  writing  upon  a matter  which  seerped  to  me  of  no  great  moment,  and 
which  I thought  could  best  be  adjusted  when  we  met,  should  any  cir- 
cumstance attending  our  conferences  arise  to  make  it  important. 

I accordingly  answered  your  note  immediately,  assenting  to  the  hour 
proposed,  and  forthwith  repaired  to  the  office  of  the  commission,  where 
our  meeting  took  place.  It  lasted  until  about  3 p.  m.,  I think.  You 
appeared  that  day  to  be  somewhat  disposed  to  construe  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  23d  of  October  different  from  what  I thought  their  context 
plainly,  imported  in  regard  to  my  position. 

This  reminded  me  of  the  expression,  “your  true  position,”  which 
occurs  in  your  note  of  that  morning,  and  I asked  you  to  state  to 
me  very  frankly  whether  or  not  you  intended  anything  pointed  by  that 
expression  ; adding,  that  when  I first  read  your  note,  I was  very  near 
replying  to  you  thaj;  my  true  position  was  already  defined  by  the  in- 
structions of  the  23d  of  October,  and  that  it  was  not  a matter  for  us  to 
discuss. 

You  replied  that  you  scarcely  recollected  the  form  of  the  phrase,  and 
asked  me  to  let  you  look  at  the  letter,  which  I did.  You  cast  your 
eyes  over  that  part  of  it,  and  observed  that  you  intended  no  stress  or 


•See  No.  13  of  this  Appendix. 


S.  Doc.  121.  163 

point  whatever  in  using  the  word  “true,”  and  I expressed  myself  per- 
fectly satisfied. 

At  the  second  day’s  meeting  (the  5th)  we  proceeded  to  look  over  the 
names  of  the  members  of  the  corps,  with  a view  to  entering  at  once 
upon  the  reorganization.  You,  however,  asked  me  to  state  my  views 
as  to  the  relative  position  of  Mr.  Gray,  the  surveyor  under  the  5th 
article  of  the  treaty,  and  that  of  myself. 

I observed  to  you  that  I thought  Mr.  Gray’s  position  a much  more 
elevated  and  responsible  one  than  if  he  were  to  put  himself  at  the  head 
of  a mere  surveying  party ; that,  as  a member  of  the  board  of  com- 
missioners appointed  to  decide  upon  the  line — as  your  colleague,  ap- 
pointed to  supervise  and  see  that  it  is  properly  run  and  marked  in 
accordance  with  the  treaty — he  occupied  a high  civil  station,  far  more 
responsible  and,  important  than  that  of  a practical  surveyor  engaged  in 
executing  the  details  of  the  work;  and  that  I inferred,  when  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  23d  of  October  were  issued,  the  department  probably  con- 
templated his  confining  his  attention  and  energies,  as  in  the  case  of 
yourself,  to  the  first-mentioned  object.  But  you  insisted  on  putting 
the  case  to  me,  that  if  Mr.  Gray  should  choose  to  take  charge  of  a sur- 
veying party  in  the  field,  did  I conceive  that  he  was  to  execute  this 
duty  under  my  instructions  ? I replied  that  I did  not  perceive  how  it 
could  be  otherwise,  under  the  Secretary’s  very  plain  instructions,  but 
that  I thought  there  was  no  necessity  for  his  doing  such  a thing ; and  I 
emphatically  stated  that  I did  not  lay  claim  to  any  right  to  command 
Mr.  Gray  to  take  a surveying  party,  and  thus  to  exercise  a control  over 
him. 

I moreover  stated  to  you  clearly,  that  the  instructions  of  October 
23d  not  only  require  me  “to  report  to  you,”  (evidently  for  the  informa- 
tion of  both  Mr.  Gray  and  yourself,  as  members  of  the  American 
board,)  “as  often  as  you  may  desirq,  all  operations  and  their  progress,” 
but  that  they  also  hold  me  “responsible  to  you”  (in  your  capacity  of 
presiding  officer  of  the  American  board,  no  doubt)  “ for  the  success- 
ful prosecution  of  the  scientific  departments  of  the  work.”  I presented 
to  you  emphatically  for  consideration  the  question,  how  would  it  be 
possible  for  me  to  undertake  these  responsibilities  unless  the  surveying 
parties  were  put  under  my  immediate  control  as  head  of  the  scientific 
corps,  to  receive  from  me,  in  the  language  of  your  instructions  from  the 
department,  “such  written  and  verbal  instructions  as  he  [I]  may  deem 
necessary  to  a full  understanding  of  the  duties  to  be  performed  on  all 
parts  of  the  work?” 

And  when  the  question  was  put  to  me  at  this  meeting,  how  Mr. 
Gray  could  conscientiously  authenticate,  with  his  signature,  the  maps 
which  are  required  by  the  5th  article,  “ to  designate  the  boundary  line 
with  due  precision,”  unless  he  conducted  the  surveys  of  that  line  in 
person,  I acknowledged  the  obligation  resting  upon  me  to  do  all  and  every 
thing  that  might  be  requisite  to  satisfy  both  your  mind  and  his  upon 
this  point.  I especially  called  your  attention  to  that  kindred  obligation, 
so  forcibly  expressed  in  the  initructions,  which  says  : “ Should  doubts 

arise  between  yourself  and  the  Mexican  commissioner  as  to  the  proper 
location  of  any  part  or  parts  of  the  boundary  described  in  the  treaty, 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham  will  be  required  to  cause  to  be  surveyed 


164 


S.  Doc.  12L 


any  route,  line,  or  lines  that  you  may  deem  necessaiy  to  elucidate  and 
satisfy  your  mind  in  relation  to  any  such  questions,  and  to  make  report 
to  you  thereon,  accompanied  by  such  plans  or  drawings  as  you  may 
deem  necessary.  F or  the  accuracy  and  faithful  execution  of  these 
duties,  he  will  be  held  responsible  to  you  as  the  commissioner  of  the 
United  States.”  Finally,  I observed  that  I could  not  consent  to  this 
scanning  of  the  instructions  with  a view  to  find  flaws  or  inconsistencies 
in  them,  or  words  to  that  effect,  and  stated  that  our  only  business  then 
was  to  proceed  to  the  re-organization,  which  contemplated  a consider- 
able reduction  in  the  corps ; and  I here  reiterated  my  desire  to  be 
officially  presented  to  the  corps  in  the  capacity  designated  in  those 
instructions.  As  a reason  for  this,  I stated  to  you  that  it  was  really 
necessary  that  I should  have  an  opportunity  of  conversing  with  the 
members  of  the  corps,  and  of  examining  the  works  of%  those  who  had 
been  actively  employed,  so  that  I might  become  acquainted  with  their 
relative  merits  before  I could  undertake  to  vote  upon  their  respective 
claims  to  be  retained  in  the  corps,  and  that  I could  not  with  propriety 
visit  them,  or  send  for  them  to  visit  me  for  these  objects,  until  my 
official  capacity  was  announced  to  them  by  you.  You  admitted  the 
propriety  of  the  grounds  I took,  and,  at  my  request,  the  understanding 
was  that  you  would,  at  ten  o’clock  the  next  morning,  assemble  the 
members  of  the  corps  at  your  office,  and  there  present  me  to  them  in 
my  official  capacity  as  principal  astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific 
corps,  and  cause  the  instructions  from  the  Department  of  the  Interior, 
of  the  23d  of  October,  to  be  read  to  them. 

We  all  accordingly  assembled  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  instant  at 
the  office  of  the  commission,  and,  as  stated  in  your  letter  of  the  7th, 
the  members  of  the  corps  were  separately  introduced  to  me,  as  they 
arrived,  (for  but  few  were  there  when  I presented  myself  to  you)  as 
Colonel  Graham.  „ 

After  some  time  spent  in  familiar  conversation,  you  announced  to 
the  gentlemen  present  that  your  object  in  assembling  them  was  that 
the}r  might  be  personally  and  officially  introduced  to — (then  reading 
from  a paper  written  in  pencil,  which  you  held  in  your  hand,  you 
added  :) — Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham,  of  the  topographical  engineers, 
who  had  been  detailed  as  principal  astronomer,  &c.,  to  assist  you  in 
running,  tracing,  and  marking  the  line  of  boundary  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico,  under  the  5t,h  article  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe 
Hidalgo.  I was  standing  near  by  and  on  your  left  at  the  time,  and 
observed  to  you  that  you  had  left  out  a part  of  my  official  title,  and 
requested,  with  a view  to  a full  understanding  of  my  position,  that  you 
would  cause  the  instructions  from  the  department  of  the  23d  of  Octo- 
ber last  to  be  read.  This  you  declined ; and  I asked  you,  in  the 
presence  of  all,  if  this  was  not  the  understanding  when  I parted  with 
you  the  afternoon  previous,  and  if,  indeed,  it  was  not  the  very  object 
of  calling  the  meeting?  You  replied  to  the  effect  that  you  had  intend- 
ed to  do  so,  but  that  on  reflection  since  we  parted,  you  had  come  to 
the  conclusion  not  to  have  the  instructions  read  ; and  you  went  on  to 
state  some  reasons,  one  of  which  was  that  you  conceived  that  there 
were  some  parts  of  the  instructions  which  were  in  violation  of  the 
treaty,  or  which  clashed  with  the  treaty,  or  words  to  that  effect. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


165 


Sir,  I will  not  conceal  from  you  my  surprise  that  you  should  have 
changed  your  mind,  since  parting  with  me  the  evening  previous,  in  regard 
to  what  was  understood  by  me  to  be  the  primary  object  of  the  meeting; 
nor  that,  having  changed  it,  you  should  not  have  given  me  some  inti- 
mation of  that  change  before  you  proceeded  to  announce  me  officially 
to  the  corps  in  the  limited  capacity  in  which  it  seems  you  consider  me 
as  standing,  in  direct  opposition  to  that  in  which  you  are  instructed  to 
receive  and  recognise  me. 

I expressed  great  regret  at  this  state  of  affairs,  and  observed  that  I 
did  not  see  how  the  work  could  proceed  until  I was  received  and  rec- 
ognised as  the  instructions  require ; that  the  orders  addressed  to  me, 
under  the  same  date  (October  23,  1850,)  from  the  Department  of  the 
Interior,*  expressly  command  me,  as  well  as  youi^elf,  to  be  governed 
by  the  instructions  to  you,  so  often  alluded  to,  of  the  same  date. 
Finally,  I requested  you  to  furnish  me  with  the  reasons,  in  writing, 
which  had  brought  you  to  your  recent  determination,  in  order  that  I 
might  the  more  fully  comprehend  them,  and  have  an  opportunity  to 
answer  them,  which  you  promised  to  do,  and  I then  took  leave  of  you. 

I will  now  proceed  most  respectfully  to  reply  to  the  reasons  you  have 
presented  in  }mur  letter  to  me  of  the  8th  instant,  which  was  not  hand- 
ed to  me  until  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  9th. 

In  this  letter  you  say : “ I am  willing  to  receive  you  as  directed  by 
the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior ; but  as  there  seems  to  be  a 
very  broad  difference  of  opinion  between  you  and  myself  as  to  the 
meaning  of  the  words  ‘head  of  the  scientific  corps,’  it  is  my  duty  to 
explain  them  as  I understand  them.  I think  the  misunderstanding 
arises  in  a great  measure  from  the  unquestionably  accidental  omission 
of  the  word  ‘ topographical,’  which  precedes  the  term  ‘ scientific  corps’ 
in  the  instructions  given  to  your  predecessors.” 

Sir,  this  interpolation  upon  the  context  of  a public  document,  to  make 
it  suit  one’s  own  peculiar  views  of  what  its  meaning  should  have  been, 
is  entirely  inadmissible.  If  this  is  allowed  in  one  case,  it  may  go  on 
in  another,  and  another,  until  the  meaning  of  the  whole  instrument  is 
so  changed  that  the  obligations  it  was  intended  to  impose  shall  have 
entirely  vanished.  Moreover,  the  interpolation  in  question  would  ren- 
der the  phrase  thus  altered  entirely  inconsistent  with  its  other  parts. 
It  would  make  it  inconsistent  with  the  recommendation  of  the  depart- 
ment, “that  the  scientific  corps  on  our  side  be  placed  under  the  im- 
mediate direction  of  Lieut.  Col.  Graham,  to  receive  from  him  such 
written  and  verbal  instructions  as  he  may  deem  necessary  to  a full 
unihrstanding  of  the  duties  to  be  performed  on  all  parts  of  the  work , 
ana  that  all  reports  from  the  heads  of  parties  be  made  to  him  from  time 
to  time,  as  he  may  direct;  and  he  will  be  required  to  report  to  you,  as 
often  as  you  may  desire,  all  operations  and  their  progress , and  he  will  be 
held  responsible  to  you  for  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  scientific 
departments  of  the  work.” 

It  would  make  it  inconsistent  with  the  paragraph  which  says : “ Should 
doubts  arise  between  yourself  and  the  Mexican  commissioner  as  to  the 
proper  location  of  any  part  or  parts  of  the  boundary  described  in  the 


See  No.  12  of  this  Appendix. 


166 


S.  Doc.  121. 


treaty,  Lieut.  Col.  Graham  will  be  required  to  cause  to  be  surveyed 
any  route,  line  or  lines,  that  you  may  deem  necessary  to  elucidate  and 
satisfy  your  mind  in  relation  to  any  such  questions,  and  to  make  report 
to  you  thereon,  accompanied  by  such  plans  or  drawings  as  you  may 
deem  necessary.  For  the  accuracy  and  faithful  execution  of  these 
duties  he  will  be  held  responsible  to  you,  as  the  commissioner  of  the 
United  States.” 

Both  the  above  quotations  clearly  show  that  it  was  intended  by 
the  department  that  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps  should  be  charged 
with  the  immediate  control  (under  your  general  supervision,  of  course) 
of  the  whole  surveying  corps,  both  topographical  and  civil,  and  that 
he  is  to  undertake  the  responsibility  of  seeing  that  all  their  duties  are 
executed  properly.  • 

The  sentence  as  interpolated  upon  would  be  inconsistent  with  the 
portion  of  the  instructions  which  says:  “When  the  field  duties  shall 
be  completed,  or  at  any  time  that  it  may  be  found  absolutely  necessary 
to  suspend  them,  owing  to  impediments  of  climate,  &c.,  the  plotting 
and  drawing  of  the  maps  will  be  prosecuted  under  the  direction  of  the 
head  of  the  scientific  corps,  and  under  your  general  supervision,  in  co- 
operation with  the  Mexican  commissioner  and  his  scientific  corps;  the 
selection  of  the  draughtsmen  and  the  other  members  of  the  scientific 
corps  on  our  side  to  be  approved  by  Lt.  Col.  Graham  and  yourself,  due  re- 
gard being  had  to  their  scientific  qualifications.”  Undoubtedly  the 
term  “scientific  corps”  was  intended  here  to  embrace  not  only  the 
topographical  and  civil  branches  of  the  surveying  department,  but  also 
the  draughtsmen. 

The  interpolation  would  render  the  sentence  inconsistent  with  the 
paragraph  next  preceding  the  last  in  the  instructions,  which  says: 
“ The  head  of  the  scientific  corps  will  have  the  custody  of  the  astro- 
nomical and  surveying  instruments  and  apparatus*  for  which  he  will 
be  responsible  to  this  department,  [that  is,  the  Department  of  the  Inte- 
rior] and  he  will  be  charged  with  their  distribution  to  the  assistants 
and  surveyors,  as  he  may  deem  necessary  for  the  performance  of  their 
duties,  they  being  accountable  to  him  for  the  same.”  This  sentence 
allows  of  no  doubt  whatever  of  the  intention  of  the  department  to 
give  to  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps  a full  control  (under  your  gene- 
ral supervision,  of  course)  of  the  whole  surveying  department,  civil  as 
well  as  topographical. 

In  the  next  or  third  paragraph  of  your  letter  you  say:  “After  ex- 
amining thp  instructions  of  my  predecessors,  wherein  the  duties  of 
chief  astronomer,  &c.,  are  defined,  it  is  my  [your]  opinion  that  the 
duties  of  this  officer  are,  to  determine  all  astronomical  points  ana  to 
direct  the  mode  of  running  all  astronomical  lines ; also,  as  head  of  the 
topographical  scientific  corps,  to  take  the  immediate  charge  of,  and  to 
give  written  and  verbal  instructions  to,  all  parties  of  that  corps  on  duty 
in  the  field,  aiding  the  United  States  surveyor  or  his  part}7,  and  to  par- 
ties stationed  at  astronomical  observatories,  or  elsewhere,  the  great 
object  had  in  view,  and  steadily  kept  in  view,  being  to  ‘ assist'  me  in 
running,  tracing,  and  marking  the  line  of  boundary.”  There  is  cer- 
tainly no  doubt  as  to  the  great  object  in  view,  as  you  have  stated  it, 
namely,  to  assist  you  in  running,  tracing,  and  marking  the  line  of 


S,  Doc-  121. 


167 


boundary.  But  has  not  the  President  the  right  to  determine  in  what 
manner,  and  by  whom,  you  shall  be  so  assisted?  Undoubtedly  you 
will  admit  he  has.  Then,  must  we  look  to  the  instructions  to  your 
predecessors,  and  to  my  predecessors,  to  find  out  in  what  manner  and 
under  what  sort  of  an  organization,  on  our  side,  these  things  are  to  be 
■done,  when  we  know  that  different  and  more  recent  instructions  have 
been  issued  by  the  same  authority  directly  to  us,  in  regard  to  this  sub- 
ject? Surely  not;  because  the  more  recent  instructions  supersede  the 
former  ones  and  render  them  no  longer  binding  upon  us,  except  in 
so  far  as  they  may,  in  other  of  their  parts,  harmonize  with  the  more 
recent  ones.  If  the  President  had  a right  to  detail  an  officer  to  per- 
form th^duties  of  “chief  astronomer  and  head* of  the  topographical 
scientific  corps,”  to  assist  you  in  the  duties  specified,  he  undoubtedly 
has  an  equal  right  to  detail  one  as  “ principal  astronomer  and  head  of 
the  scientific  corps,”  both  typographical  and  civil , for  the  same  object. 
And  this,  it  seems,  was  his  intention,  as  clearly  shown  by  the  more 
a*ecent,  and  therefore  binding,  instructions  of  October  23,  1850.  A 
reason  is  even  given  in  that  document  for  the  change  of  organization, 
namely:  “to  promote,  in -the  best  manner,  the  progress  of  the  important 
work  before  you,  and  to  bring  it  to  as  early  a completion  as  possible;” 
and  “ for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a system  of  responsibility  and 
discipline  throughout .”  Under  the  former  system  the  responsibilities 
to  the  commissioner,  in  regard  to  these  duties,  ran  through  two  separate 
and  distinct  channels,  namely:  the  “chief  astronomer  and  head  of 
the  topographical  scientific  corps,”  and  the  civil  surveying  corps. 
Under  the  new  system  they  are  made  to  run  through  but  one  channel, 
namely:  “the  principal  astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps,” 
embracing  evidently  both  the  topographical  and  civil  branches  of  that 
corps. 

The  clause  next  before  the  last  of  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty  says  : 
•“In  older  to  designate  the  boundary  line,  with  due  precision,  upon  au- 
thoritative maps,  and  to  establish,  upon  the  ground,  landmarks  which 
shall  show  the  limits  of  both  republics,  as  described  in  the  present  ar- 
ticle, the  two  governments  shall  each  appoint  a commissioner  and  a 
surveyor,  who,  before  the  expiration  of  one  year  from  the  date'  of  the 
exchange  of  ratifications  of  this  treaty,  shall  meet  at  the  port  of  San 
Diego,  and  proceed  to  run  and  mark  the  said  boundary  in  its  whole 
course  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte.  They  shall  keep 
journals,  and  make  out  plans  of  their  operations,  and  the  result  agreed 
on  by  them,  shall  be  deemed  a part  of  this  treaty,  and  shall  have  the 
same  force  as  if  it  were  inserted  therein,”  &c.,  &c. 

If  I understand  you  rightly,  you  base  your  position,  in  opposition  to 
the  instructions  emanating  from  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
upon  that  expression  in  the  fifth  article  which,  in  defining  the  duties 
of  the  commissioner  and  surveyor,  says  they  shall  “proceed  to  run  and 
mark  the  said  boundary,  in  its  whole  course,”  &e.  Now,  if  this  ex- 
pression imposes  the  actual  performance  of  this  duty  on  the  surveyor 
in  propria  persona , it  imposes  it  on  the  commissioner  likewise;  for  he 
must  “ proceed  to  run  and  mark  the  said  boundary,”  as  the  colleague 
of  the  surveyor.  But  I am  quite  sure  the  commissioner  never  contem- 
plated the  performance  of  any  such  duty  in  the  field.  If,  however,  it 


168 


S.  Doc.  121. 


can  be  dispensed  with  by  the  commissioner,  it  can  likewise  be  by  the 
surveyor,  who,  like  the  commissioner,  still  maintains  the  importance  of 
his  position,  in  sitting  in  judgment  over  the  whole  work,  to  be  satisfied, 
and  to  be  able  to  authenticate,  by  his  signature,  the  result  to  be  agreed 
upon,  as  required  by  the  treaty — that  is,  the  correct  running  and  mark- 
ing of  the  line.  It  is  evident  enough  that  the  practical  part  of  the  op- 
eration is  to  be  performed  by  authorized  agents ; and  the  President  of 
the  United  States  has,  in  this  instance,  chosen  to  designate  the  princi- 
pal one  to  act  on  the  part  of  our  own  government.  He  had  a right 
to  choose  the  agent  for  this  purpose  in  whose  scientific  qualifications 
he  reposed  the  most  confidence;  and  if  the  selection  has  fallen  on  art 
individual  as  humble  as  myself,  still  the  position  assigned  tolhat  indi- 
vidual must  be  recognised,  out  of  respect  to  the  President’s  mi thority* 

Now',  I will  go  a step  further,  and  say  that,  although  the  commis- 
sioner and  surveyor  are  to  be  left  free  and  untrammelled  in  their  con- 
scientious decision  as  to  where  the  boundary  is  to  be  run  and  marked, 
in  order  to  make  it  conformable  with  the  conditions  of  the  treaty — a 
sacred  instrument,  which  is  to  secure  perfect  equity  to  both  nations 
in  this  respect — yet,  w'hen  that  decision  is  made  and  agreed  to  by  the 
agents  of  the  two  governments,  the  President  has  a perfect  right  to  in- 
struct or  to  appoint  a special  agent,  with  power  to  instruct  the  sur- 
veyor as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  line  so  agreed  upon  shall  be  run 
out  upon  the  ground,  and  as  to  the  manner  in  which  it  shall  be  delin- 
eated upon  the  maps.  He  has  a perfect  right  to  say  how  far  the  sci- 
ences of  astronomy  or  geodesy  shall  be  applied  to  this  practical  ope- 
ration. He  has  a perfect  right  to  say  whether  the  military  topography, 
on  the  side  of  the  fine  next  to  our  own  territory,  shall  be  minutely  laid 
down  with  a view  to  the  defence  of  the  frontier ; and  he  has  a right 
to  instruct  the  surveyor,  either  directly  or  through  an  agent,  on  these 
points,  which  in  nowise  affect  the  extent  of  the  limits  that  may  be 
agreed  upon. 

Sir,  there  is  no  inconsistency  in  Mr.  Gray’s  acting  under  my  instruc- 
tions, if  he  undertakes  to  perform  surveying  duty  in  the  field.  The  act 
of  Congress  of  May  15,  1850,  places  my  position,  as  astronomer,  sim- 
ply, in  precedence  of  his,  and  the  President  has  caused  my  position  to 
be  defined  in  relation  to  all  who  go  into  the  field  to  perform  duty  as 
members  of  the  scientific  corps.  The  President  and  the  honorable  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  had  a perfect  knowledge  of  Mr.  Gray’s  po- 
sition wdien  the  instructions  of  the  23d  of  October  last  were  issued ; and 
in  defining  the  position  of  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  as  therein  so 
clearly  set  forth,  the  relative  position  of  every  other  member  of  the  sci- 
entific corps,  in  respect  to  that  officer,  was  also  defined. 

I waited  nearly  lour  days  for  your  promised  reasons,  in  writing,  for 
the  position  you  took,  on  the  6th  instant,  against  the  President’s  author- 
ity ; and  when,  on  the  evening  of  the  9th  instant,  I received  your  com- 
munication containing  those  reasons,  I find  in  a postscript  thereto  this 
remark  : “I  have  deferred  sending  this  letter,  in  order  that  I might  re- 
ceive a reply  from  A.  B.  Gray,  esq.,  to  one  wffiich  I addressed  to  him, 
inquiring  his  opinion  relative  to  his  powers,  rights,  and  duties  under  the 
treaty  and  by  his  commission.  His  ausw'er  confirms  me  in  the  position 
I have  above  taken,  relative  to  the  surveyor.  J.  R.  B.” 


S.  Doc.  121. 


169 


I immediately  applied  to  you,  in  two  written  communications,  on  the 
evening  of  the  9th,  for  a copy  of  Mr.  Gray’s  answer  to  your  invitation 
in  regard  to  this  matter,  both  of  which  you  afterwards  acknowledged 
to  me  you  duly  received  the  same  evening. 

After  waiting  two  days  for  a reply  to  my  second  note,  and  receiving 
none  from  you,  I called  on  you  in  person,  on  the  1 1th  instant,  at  the  office 
of  the  commission,  and  after  some  conversation  on  the  subject,  you  admit- 
ted that  this  paper  of  Mr.  Gray’s  was  properly  a part  of  the  archives  of  the 
commission  and  ought  to  be  preserved  on  its  files,  and  said  ydu  would 
send  to  Mr.  Gray  for  it ; and  I certainly  understood  you  to  say  you 
would  have  a copy  furnished  to  me.  In  your  note  to  me,  of  that  date, 
you  virtually  promise  me  that  paper.  You  say  therein,  “In  reply  to 
your  verbal  request  this  morning,  I enclose  the  following  extracts,”  &c., 
“but  for  the  future  must  most  respectfully  decline  furnishing  other  offi- 
cial information  from  my  files,  or  otherwise,  until  the  matter  now  at 
issue  between  us  is  in  some  manner  disposed  of,  excepting,  of  course , doc- 
uments  bearing  on  the  question .”  Under  this  exception  I had  a right  to 

expect  that  paper,  together  with  the  one  from  you  inviting  it.  I waited 
a day  and  a half  longer,  however,  without  receiving  either.  I then  (last 
evening)  sent  Lieutenant  Burnside  to  you,  with  a verbal  request  that 
you  would  send  the  papers  to  me.  He  returned  and  informed  me  that 
you  declined  doing  so,  adding  that  the  paper  was  in  Mr.  Gray’s  hands, 
and  that  if  I wanted  it  1 must  apply  to  him  for  it,  or  words  to  that  effect. 
Thus,  after  four  days’  delay  since  receiving  your  “reasons  in  writing,” 
am  I deprived  by  you  of  an  opportunity  to  see  and  refute  arguments 
which  have  evidently  influenced  you  to  take  ground  in  opposition  to 
the  President’s  authority — a ground  which  calls  on  me  also  to  disobey 
the  same  authority  in  a manner  that  would  render  me  liable  to  be  pun- 
ished by  the  sentence  of  a general  court-martial,  as  you  must  be  very 
well  aware. 

Now,  sir,  a similar  controversy  arose  between  Mr.  Gray  and  Major 
Emory  last  year,  on  the  Pacific — that  is,  as  to  seniority  or  precedence  of 
position — which  was  referred  by  Mr.  Gray  to  the  Department  of  the  In- 
terior, and  was  decided,  as  you  are  aware,  in  Major  Emory’s  favor. 
Knowing  this,  and  in  order  to  prevent  any  misunderstanding  whatever, 
on  Mr.  Gray’s  part,  as  to  our  relative  positions  under  the  instructions 
of  the  23d  of  October,  I took  occasion  in  Washington  last  winter,  when 
we  were  both  there  together,  to  say  emphatically  to  Mr.  Gray,  that  if 
he  had  any  such  ideas  in  regard  to  my  position  as  he  had  entertained 
in  regard  to  Major  Emory’s,  he  owed  it  to  the  public  interests,  as  well 
as  to  himself,  to  declare  them  at  once  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior, 
with  a view  to  having  the  matter  adjusted  at  the  department,  and  not 
wait  until  we  should  be  several  thousand  miles  beyond  reference  to 
the  department  to  raise  points  for  dispute.  Mr.  Gray  referred  to  his 
having  been,  ten  years  before,  under  obligations  to  me  for  much  in- 
struction in  regard  to  the  use  of  instruments  in  his  profession,  whilst  we 
were  engaged  in  surveying  the  boundary  between  the  United  States 
and  the  then  republic  of  Texas;  and,  waiving  all  objection  to  the  posi- 
tion assigned  me  by  the  instructions  of  October  23d,  he  expressed  him- 
.self  entirely  satisfied.  I myself  spoke  to  the  honorable  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior,  also,  on  this  subject,  and  understood  him  to  say  that 


170 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Mr.  Gray  had  signified  to  him  his  perfect  satisfaction  in  regard  to  my 
position.  How  is  it,  then,  that  this  question  is  mooted  here,  at  this 
distance  from  the  seat  of  government,  at  a time  when  it  is  known  it 
cannot  be  referred  to  Washington  without  so  delaying  the  work  before 
us — already  too  long  delayed — in  such  a manner  as  to  produce  the 
most  disastrous  results  to  the  public  interests? 

I do  not  understand  from  Mr.  Gray  that  it  is  he  who  has  taken  the 
initiative  in  this  matter ; but,  on  the  contrary,  that  he  is  perfectly  wil- 
ling that  I should  be  received  and  recognised  as  “principal  astronomer 
and  head  of  the  scientific  corps,”  in  accordance  with  the  President’s 
command,  and  that  it  is  with  you  that  the  objection  rests.  I respect- 
fully ask  that,  if  I am  under  any  misapprehension  in  regard  to  this 
matter,  I may  be  so  informed  by  a frank  avowal  from  you  both. 

In  your  letter  of  the  8th  inst.  you  say:  “The  first  clause,  stating 
that  ‘you  will  meet  with  the  joint  commission  of  the  two  governments,’ 
is  in  direct  violation  of  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty,  which  acknowl- 
edges but  two  officers,  viz:  a ‘commissioner  and  a surveyor,”’  &c. 

I beg  you  to  bear  in  mind  that,  at  our  two  meetings,  (on  the  4th  and 
5th  inst.,)  I distinctly  stated  that  I laid  no  claim  whatever  to  vote,  or 
to  take  part  in  any  discussions  whatever  at  the  board,  touching  mat- 
ters that  are  exclusively  committed,  by  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty,  to 
the  joint  commission.  The  clause,  in  full,  reads  thus:  “He  [the  prin- 
cipal astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps]  will  meet  with  the 
joint  commission  of  the  two  governments,  and  will  aid  you  in  digesting 
and  arranging  (in  concurrence  with  the  Mexican  commissioner  and 
his  associates)  the  plan  of  operations  in  the  field,  (taking  care  to  ob- 
serve the  terms  of  the  treaty,)  and  in  organizing  parties,  and  in  giving 
the  necessary  directions  to  subordinates.” 

The  object  of  my  meeting  with  the  joint  commission  of  the  two 
governments  is  clearly  defined.  It  must  be,  “in  concurrence  with  the 
Mexican  commissioner  and  his  associates,”  for  a specific  purpose 
stated;  and  there  would  have  been  no  difficulty  whatever  in  arranging 
this  matter  in  a manner  perfectly  satisfactory  to  the  Mexican  commis- 
sion, had  you  not  so  abruptly  terminated  our  deliberations  by  the 
course  you  pursued  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  inst.  The  fact  is,  the 
matter  had  been  but  very  partially  touched  on,  and  no  conclusion  had 
been  definitely  arrived  at  on  that  point. 

I trust  I have  convinced  you  that  you  were  mistaken  in  the  belief 
that  this  “ misunderstanding  arises  in  a great  measure  from  the  un- 
questionably accidental  omission  of  the  word  ‘ topographical,’  which 
preceded  the  term  ‘ scientific  corps  ’ in  the  instructions  given  to  your 
[my]  predecessors.” 

If  any  further  proof  is  wanting  to  satisfy  your  mind  on  this  point,  I 
trust  you  wall  recognise  it  in  the  annexed  certified  copies  of  official 
documents,  emanating  from  three  distinguished  members  of  the  Presi- 
dent’s cabinet,  in  addition  to  that  contained  in  the  instructions  from  the 
Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior — 
namely,  documents  marked — 

A.*' — A letter  from  the  Hon.  William  A.  Graham,  Secretary  of  the 


A is  the  same  as  No.  16  of  this  Appendix. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


171 


Navy,  and  Secretary  of  War  and  of  the  Interior  ad  interim,  addressed 
to  the  Hon.  Daniel  Webster,  Secretary  of  State,  (who  was  temporarily 
absent  from  Washington  at  the  time,)  dated  “Department  of  War, 
October  21,  1850.” 

B. # — A letter  from  the  Hon.  W.  S.  Derrick,  acting  Secretary  of  State, 
announcing  Mr.  Webster’s  “cheerful  concurrence  in  the  arrangements 
proposed,”  dated  “ Departmentof  State,  Washington,  October  28, 1850.” 

C. # — A communication  from  the  Hon.  C.  M.  Conrad,  Secretary  of 
War,  to  Colonel  J.  J.  Abert,  commanding  topographical  corps,  dated 
“War  Department,  January  6,  1851.” 

By  all  three  of  these  members  of  the  cabinet  you  will  perceive  I am 
named  as  “ principal  astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps,” 
&c.,  &c.,  &c.,  in  its  broad  sense,  just  as  it  is  written  by  the  Hon.  A. 
H.  H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior.  The  word 
“ topographical ,”  which  you  had  supposed  was  an  “ unquestionably 
accidental  omission,”  is  purposely  omitted  in  each  and  every  one  of 
these  documents,  the  same  as  it  is  in  the  instructions  addressed  to  you 
by  the  Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart,  Secretary  of  the  Department  of  the  In- 
terior, under  date  of  October  23,  1850. 

To  conclude  the  proofs  upon  this  subject,  let  us  for  a moment  ask 
ourselves  the  question,  had  it  been  intended  that  the  surveyor,  under 
the  5th  article  of  the  treaty,  should  have  the  immediate  direction  of  the 
civil  branch  of  the  scientific  corps,  would  he  not  have  been  designated 
as  the  person  to  act  in  conjunction  with  yourself  in  its  reorganization  ? 
The  topographical  branch  of  that  corps  was  not  required  to  be  re- 
organized. There  were  no  selections  from  or  reductions  of  that  branch 
of  the  corps  to  be  made.  These  were  confined  to  the  civil  or  survey- 
ing branch  of  it.  But  it  was  not  the  surveyor,  under  the  5th  article, 
that  was  appointed  to  act  with  you  in  this  business.  On  the  contrary, 
it  was  the  “ principal  astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps” — 
the  officer  especially  appointed  to  take  the  immediate  direction  of  their 
labors  in  the  field — who  was  and  is  especially  appointed  to  co-operate 
with  you  in  that  duty. 

Again,  if  it  had  been  intended  that  the  said  surveyor  should  have 
been  put  in  the  immediate  charge  of  the  surveying  department,  would 
he  not  have  been  put  in  charge  of  the  surveying  instruments,  and  in- 
trusted with  “ their  distribution  to  the  assistants  and  surveyors,”  as  he 
might  “ deem  necessary  for  the  performance  of  their  duties,”  and  would 
they  not  have  been  made  “ accguntable  to  him  for  the  same?”  Such, 
however,  is  not  the  case.  All  these  prerogatives  and  duties  were  espe- 
cially assigned  to  the  “ principal  astronomer  and  head  of  the  scien- 
tific corps,”  as  he  is  designated  in  your  instructions,  and  he  is  respon- 
sible to  the  Department  of  the  Interior  alone  for  those  instruments. 

I trust,  sir,  you  will  review  this  whole  transaction.  I trust  you  will 
take  proper  time  to  deliberate  upon  it.  It  is  a matter  of  grave  public 
importance,  and  involves  the  interests  of  our  country  in  a most  momen- 
tous degree. 

I trust  you  will  reflect  that  my  oath  of  office,  which  binds  me 
to  “observe  and  obey  the  orders  of  the  President  of  the  United  States 


* B and  C are  the  same  as  Nos.  17  and  31  of  this  Appendix. 


172 


S.  Doc.  121. 


and  the  orders  of  the  officers  appointed  over  me,  according  to  the  rules 
and  articles  for  the  government  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States,” 
forbids  that  T should  disregard  the  orders  of  the  President,  communi- 
cated by  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  of  October  23, 
1850,  (a  copy  of  which  I had  the  honor  to  forward  to  you  on  the  6th 
instant,)  which  require  me  to  be  governed  by  the  instructions  to  you 
of  the  same  date.  I request  that  you  will  carefully  review  that  docu- 
ment, with  a view  to  examine  particularly  the  obligations  which  it  im- 
poses on  me  from  first  to  Iasi,.  And  then,  sir,  I trust  you  will  bring 
your  mind  to  acknowledge  my  true  position. 

I am  ready  and  anxious  to  commence,  without  further  delay,  and  to 
push  on  with  every  possible  energy,  the  important  work  before  us,  and 
in  full  respect  to  your  position  as  commissioner  of  the  United  States, 
having  come  here  to  aid  and  assist  you  to  the  utmost  of  my  abilities  in  the 
office  assigned  me,  which  you  must  be  well  aware  was  not  of  my  seek- 
ing, but  which,  “owing  to  circumstances  of  great  public  emergency,”, 
as  is  stated  in  the  letter  to  the  Hon.  Daniel  Webster,  Secretary  of  State, 
already  exhibited  to  you,  was  devolved  on  me  by  the  orders  of  the 
President. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

]Lt.  Col.,  Principal  Astr.  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq.,  Commissioner , 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita. 


N.  B. — No  answer  to  this  communication  was  ever  made  by  Com- 
missioner Bartlett. 


J.  D.  G. 


No.  115. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita,  Avgust  14,  1851. 

Sir  : I think  it  very  important  that  the  labors  of  Mr.  Moss,  especially 
since  the  date  of  his  last  report,  submitted  the  24th  of  December  last, 
should  be  made  profitable  to  the  government,  and  that  he  should  be 
allowed  to  take  with  him  to  Washington,  where  he  informs  me  he  will 
go,  the  minerals  and  fossils  he  has  collected  while  attached  to  the 
boundary  commission.  He  will  there  be  enabled  to  take  them  up  for 
description,  in  aid  of  a final  report  he  will  make,  to  be  considered  a 
part  of  the  proceedings  of  the  commission. 

I respectfully  recommend  this  course  for  your  approval.  The  pres- 
ent is  certainly  the  best  opportunity  for  having  these  minerals,  &c., 
sent  home.  Your  reply  to  this  proposition  will  very  much  oblige, 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Principal  Astr.  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps,  fyc.,  §c. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner , §c.,  fyc. 


S.  Doc.  121.  173 

P.  S. — I have  addressed  a note  to  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior,  recommending  that  Mr.  Moss  be  allowed  reasonable  time  • 
to  make  out  his  final  report. 

J.  D.  G. 


No.  116. 

1 Mr . Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Headquarters  U.  S.  Boundary  Commission, 

Santa  Rita  del  Cohre , N.  M.,  August  14,  1851. 

Sir  : In  reply  to  yours  of  this  date,  relative  to  Mr.  Moss,  I beg  leave 
to  say  that  if  he  has  any  inquiries  to  make  or  business  to  transact  in 
relation  to  his  late  connexion  with  this  commission,  his  proper  course 
is  to  apply  directly  and  personally  to  me.  I shall  be  happy  to  furnish 
him  every  facility  I can,  consistently  with  the  course  I long  since  adopted 
to  govern  myself  by,  in  reference  to  the  reports  of  the  various  depart- 
L ments. 

1 am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT,  Commissioner. 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Principal  Astronomer , fyc.,  §’c. 


No.  117. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham. 


Santa  Rita  del  Cobre, 

August  14,  1851. 

Sir  : The  party  which  has  been  preparing  for  several  days  to  leave 
for  Santa  Fe  starts  this  morning. 

Mr.  Murphy  will  take  the  stage  at  Santa  Fe,  and  proceed  at  once  to 
Washington,  and  will  be  the  bearer  of  any  letters  or  documents  you 
may  wish  to  send. 

Yours,  respectfully, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner. 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham,  §'c.,  §'c.,  fyc. 


No.  118. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett . 


Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  14,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  just  received  your  note  of  this  morning,  and  beg  leave 
to  say,  in  reply,  that  it  will  not  be  in  my  power  to  avail  myself  of  Mr. 


174 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Murphy’s  services  in  carrying  letters  to  Washington  for  me.  I must 
await  your  answer  to  my  communication  of  last  evening ; and  I avail 
mysell  ol  this  opportunity  to  say  that  so  soon  as  I am  recognised  arid 
received  by  you  in  the  capacity  assigned  me  by  direction  of  the  Presi- 
dent, which  was  fully  understood  and  concurred  in  by  his  cabinet, 

(full  proof  of  which  I have  given  you,)  I shall  be  prepared  to  enter  on 
my  proper  duties.  All  the  instruments,  both  astronomical  and  survey- 
ing, which  are  necessary  for  the  expedition  on  the  Gila,  have  been  in 
preparation  here  for  a week  past,  and  can  be  packed  ready  for  trans-  Ml 
portation  in  twenty -four  hours  afier  I am  recognised  in  conformity 
with  the  instructions  as  they  were  understood  by  the  above-mentioned 
authorities.  0 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps,  fyc.,  fyc. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  U.  S.  Commissioner , fyc.,  &{c.,  §‘c., 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita , New  Mexico. 


No.  119. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  15,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  deferred  answering  your  communication  of  the  12th 
instant,  informing  me  of  Mr.  Gray’s  “memorandum  of  surveying  in-* 
struments  which  he  will  require  for  his  duties  in  running,  tracing,  and 
marking  the  boundary  line  along  the  Gila,”  because  I hoped  you 
would  be  induced,  on  cool  reflection,  to  recognise  me  in  my  proper 
position,  and  thus  remove  every  difficulty  attending  this  question. 

You  are  fully  aware  that  it  is  only  as  “head  of  the  scientific 
corps”  that  1 can,  without  disobeying  my  instructions,  dispose  ol' 
these  instruments  to  others  for  use  on  the  line,  and  only  then  in  the 
manner  directed  in  those  instructions. 

I am  at  a loss  to  know  upon  what  authority  it  is  that  Mr.  A.  B. 
Gray  takes  upon  himself  the  organization  of  surveying  parties  and  the 
distribution  of  instruments  to  them,  when  he  is  fully  aware  that  these 
duties  have  been  especially  committed  to  others  by  the  proper  au- 
thority. If  he  has  any  authority,  however,  for  his  proceedings  on  this 
subject,  and  you  or  he  will  show  it,  it  shall  be  acknowledged  and 
respected. 

1 am  now  ready  to  have  turned  over  to  you,  upornyour  requisition 
upon  the  commissary  and  quartermaster,  subsistence  and  transporta- 
tion for  yourself  and  Mr.  A.  B.  Gray,  and  the  persons  to  accompany 
you,  in  order  to  enable  you  to  meet  the  Mexican  commission,  and 
thereby  preserve  the  faith  of  our  government. 

But  I cannot  recognise  any  of  the  heads  of  surveying  parties  until 
they  are  organized  as  our  instructions  require,  nor  until  they  report  to 


8.  Doc,  12 1.  175 

me  for  instructions,  as  is  required  by  the  proper  authority  of  our  gov- 
ernment. 

The  instruments  mentioned  in  your  letter  of  the  12th  instant  cannot 
be  issued,  except  to  the  heads  of  parties  as  they  shall  report  to  me  for 
instructions.  I have  no  right  to  give  up  public  property  for  which  I 
am  responsible  to  my  government,  nor  to  allow  it  to  be  used  except  in 
accordance  with  the  orders  I am  obliged  to  obey.  I cannot  subject 
myself  to  the  rebuke  of  being  unfaithful  to  the  trust  reposed  in  me.  I 
refer  you  to  the  last  paragraph  but  one  of  the  instructions  of  October 
23,  1850,  which  says : “ The  head  of  the  scientific  corps  will  have  the 
custody  of  the  astronomical  and  surveying  instruments  and  apparatus,, 
for  which  he  will  be  responsible  to  this  department ; and  he  will  be 
charged  with  their  distribution  to  the  assistants  and  surveyors,  as  he 
may  deem  necessary  for  the  performance  of  their  duties — they  being 
accountable  to  him  for  the  same.” 

When  the  authority  of  the  President  is  respected,  and  I am  recog- 
nised in  my  proper  position  by  you,  I shall  immediately  submit  a list 
of  names,  and  proceed  to  co-operate  with  you  in  organizing  the  various 
astronomical  and  surveying  parties,  and  shall  take  care  that  they  are 
provided  with  instruments  and  all  the  necessary  means  for  the  per- 
formance of  their  duties.  # 

I can  take  no  part  in  what  is  going  on  in  direct  opposition  to  the  au- 
thority of  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

1 shall  myself  visit  General  Conde,  at  his  camp,  as  I wish  to  pay 
my  respects  to  him  and  my  friend  Mr.  Salazar ; a#d  I shall,  unoffi- 
cially, acquaint  these  gentlemen  with  the  internal  organization  which 
the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  by  authority  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  has  thought  proper  to  prescribe  for  the 
scientific  corps  on  our  side,  and  also  of  the  ample  supply  of  instru- 
ments of  the  best  kind,  both  astronomical  and  surveying,  which  I have 
prepared  and  brought  out  here  by  their  authority,  in  order  that  we 
might  be  enabled  to  co-operate  with  them  in  bringing  the  survey  and 
demarcation  of  this  boundary  to  a satisfactory  termination  in  the  short- 
est time  practicable. 

I now  close  this  correspondence  with  you  on  this  subject,  until  it 
can  be  referred  to  the  government  at  Washington. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col .,  Frin.  Astr.f  and  Head  of  the  Scientific 

Corps  on  the  part  of  the  United  States . 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq.,  U.  S.  Commissioner , 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita , New  Mexico. 


176 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  120. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior . 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

New  Mexico , August  16,  1851. 

Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
the  5th  of  June  last.* 

As  nothing  is  said  in  regard  to  the  plan  for  the  organization  of  the 
quartermaster’s  and  commissariat  departments  of  the  commission,  which 
I had  the  honor  to  submit  for  your  consideration  and  approval — if  it 
should  meet  your  approbation — with  my  communication  from  San  An- 
tonio of  the  12th  of  May  last,  Lieutenants  Tillinghast  and  Burnside 
will  not  feel  authorized  to  continue  to  act  as  disbursing  officers  any 
further  than  the  funds  now  in  their  hands  may  allow,  unless  they  should 
receive  your  instructions  to  that  effect.  They  will  not,  therefore,  feel 
authorized  to  make  any  further  drafts  on  the  department. 

From  the  moment  these  officers  entered  on  their  dudes,  the  most 
striking  evidences  of  order,  industry,  and  economy  were  apparent,  at 
the  same  time  that  increased  comforts  were  secured  to  the  members  of 
the  commission.  % 

1 cannot  too  highly  commend  them  to  the  confidence  of  the  depart- 
ment. 

With  great  respect,  I have  the  honor  to  be  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Colonel , Head  of  Scientific  Corps,  U.  S.  B.  C. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior , &fc.,  fife.,  fife.,  Washington . 


No.  121. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Secretary  oj  the  Interior . 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  16,  1851. 

Sir  : I reported  to  the  department  on  the  1st  ultimo  my  arrival  at 
El  Paso,  on  the  24th  of  June,  with  the  advance  of  Captain  French’s 
military  escort  and  army  wagon-train.  That  letter  was  forwarded  by 
Captain  French,  who  left  El  Paso  about  the  8th  of  July  on  his  return 
to  San  Antonio.  The  proceedings  of  the  United  States  commissioner 
and  myself,  since  that  time,  will  be  sufficiently  shown  by  the  accompa- 
nying correspondencef  which  I submit  to  the  department.  It  shows  a 
state  of  affairs  here  of  a most  painful  character.  After  so  long  a delay 
in  going  on  with  the  surveys  of  the  boundary,  involving  at  the  same 
time  very  large  expenditures  of  money,  in  consequence,  in  a great 
measure,  of  a want  of  the  necessary  instruments  on  our  part,  but 


*No.  70  of  this  Appendix. 

t See  preceding  Nos.  71  and  72 ; also  Nos.  84  to  99  inclusive,  and  Nos.  102  to  119  inclusive. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


177 


partly  from  other  causes,  it  was  to  have  been  hoped  that,  when  these 
instruments  arrived,  a spirit  of  energy  and  activity  would  be  infused 
into  the  scientific  corps,  and  that  every  thought  would  be  directed  to 
pushing  the  work  forward. 

But  what  was  my  surprise  at  being  denied  at  the  outset,  by  the 
United  States  commissioner,  the  position  assigned  me  by  }mur  instruc- 
tions of  the  23d  of  October  last,  which  were  brought  to  him  here  by 
Mr.  Sanford  about  the  time  of  my  arrival  at  El  Paso.  The  decided 
course  taken  by  Mr.  Bartlett  on  this  point  caused  much  time,  which 
ought  to  have  been  spent  in  laboring  in  the  field,  to  be  taken  up  in  the 
discussions  which  unavoidably  followed.  The  result  will  be  fully  seen 
by  the  correspondence  which  accompanies  this  communication.  Pre- 
vious to  its  development,  hoping  it  would  have  a different  issue  from 
what  has  taken  place,  I took  every  step  in  my  power  to  prepare,  and 
submit  to  the  United  States  commissioner,  plans  for  active  operations, 
such  as  I thought  best  calculated  to  secure  their  earliest  completion, 
and  in  regard  to  which  I had  vainly  counted  on  his  hearty  co-operation. 
Perhaps  my  surprise  ought  now  to  be  the  less  in  consequence  of  the 
rumors  which  prevailed  at  El  Paso,  soon  after  my  arrival  there,  that 
the  commissioner  did  not  intend  to  receive  me  as  your  instructions  re- 
quired ; that  he  considered  these  instructions  as  not  binding  him  posi- 
tively. At  the  time,  I treated  these  rumors  as  idle  and  not  worthy  of 
notice.  Even  now,  Mr.  Bartlett  holds  that  the  general  instructions  he 
received  from  your  predecessor  are  binding  on  hiiQ,  notwithstanding 
the  more  recent  ones. 

There  seems  to  be  a strange  inconsistency  here,  since  Mr.  Bartlett 
quotes,  in  his  letter  to  me  of  the  4th  instant,  that  part  of  your  instruc- 
tions to  him  of  March,  (the  11th,  I think,)  which  says  he  has  been  en- 
joined to  “ reorganize  the  commission  at  once,  and  curtail  the  force 
employed  to  the  lowest  possible  limit  consistent  with  a proper  discharge 
of  the  business  connected  with  the  service.”  (See  No.  92.) 

The  instructions  of  your  predecessor  were  issued,  if  I mistake  not, 
at  a time  when  it  was  believed  that  Congress  would  grant  appropria- 
tions upon  a scale  so  liberal  as  to  allow  of  many  collateral  investiga- 
tions in  this  new  and  but  little  explored  country,  in  addition  to  the  mere 
work  of  running  and  marking  the  line.  But  Congress,  by  the  appro- 
priation bills,  passed  after  Mr.  Bartlett  was  far  distant  from  the  seat  of 
government,  was  decided  in  discountenancing  any  expenditure  not 
necessary  for  the  absolute  running  and  marking  of  the  line,  &c.,  as 
specified  in  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty,  except  alone  the  examinations 
authorized  in  the  sixth  article  with  regard  to  ascertaining  the  practi- 
cability of  a road,  canal,  or  railway  on  or  near  the  river  Gila. 

The  course  which  Mr.  Bartlett  thought  proper  to  pursue  on  the  6th 
instant  cut  me  off'  entirely  from  any  participation  with  him  in  the  reor- 
ganization of  the  scientific  corps.  I have  no  means  of  knowing  the 
number  of  persons  attached  to  the  commission,  nor  of  ascertaining  the 
rates  of  compensation,  nor  the  expenses  of  the  present  organization.  It 
is  a matter  which  he  has  taken  into  his  own  hands,  denying  me  all  in- 
formation on  the  subject,  and  of  course  I cannot  be  in  any  way  respon- 
sible for  it.  He  never  answered  or  took  anv  official  notice  of  mv  letter 
12 


178 


S.  Doc.  121. 


to  him  of  the  9th  inst.  in  regard  to  this  matter.*  Wishing  to  conciliate, 
in  every  possible  manner  consistent  with  a proper  respect  for  the  au- 
thority of  your  department,  this  unfortunate  difference,  I several  times 
sought  and  obtained  personal  interviews  with  Mr.  Bartlett  at  his  office. 
On  the  11th  instant  I waited  on  him  in  person,  and,  among  other  sub- 
jects, I urged  him  to  send  me  the  list  of  members  of  the  commission, 
with  their  stations  and  rates  of  pay  set  opposite  each  name,  in  compli- 
ance with  my  letter  on  that  subject  of  the  9th,  which  I supposed,  when 
I left  him,  he  intended  doing.  Instead  of  which,  however,  he  sent  me 
under  the  same  envelope  with  his  letter  of  the  11th,  as  it  were  in  de- 
rision of  my  position,  the  paper  marked  No.  24, f which  is  in  his  own 
handwriting,  purporting  to  be  a “list  of  members  of  the  boundary 
commission  attached  to  the  surveying  and  astronomical  corps.”  This 
list,  it  will  be  seen,  is  neither  authenticated  by  his  signature,  nor  does 
it  embrace  the  rates  of  compensation,  nor  but  a very  small  portion  of 
the  persons  under  pay. 

Not  satisfied  with  this  paper,  and  supposing  the  commissioner  may, 
through  inadvertence,  have  misunderstood  my  wishes,  and  not  desiring 
myself  to  vex  this  question  by  too  much  correspondence  in  writing,  I 
requested  Lieutenant  Burnside  to  wait  on  him,  which  he  did  late  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  1 1th,  and  informed  him  that  the  paper  sent  was  not 
authenticated  with  his  signature,  nor  did  it  contain  all  the  information 
asked  for  by  my  letter  of  the  9th,  and  begging  him  to  send  me  the  in- 
formation in  full. 

The  commissioner  replied  to  Lieutenant  Burnside,  that  the  paper  he 
had  already  sent  me  was  all  he  intended  to  send  me.  He  had  already 
authorized  or  allowed  Mr.  Gray  to  organize  and  lead  off,  into  a separate 
camp,  all  the  members  of  the  surveying  corps  stationed  here.  My 
opinion  is,  that  the  organization  is  now  considerably  larger  and  more 
expensive  than  it  need  be  for  all  the  duties  required  of  this  commission. 

The  department  will  no  doubt  be  informed,  that  the  progress  of  the 
survey  on  the  line  between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Gila  was  arrested 
under  a protest  from  Mr.  Gray,  in  the  latter  part  of  July.  With  that 
question  Ido  not  interfere,  as  its  decision  belongs  peculiarly  to  the  joint 
commission.  It  may  be  proper,  however,  that  I should  state,  that  Mr. 
Bartlett  consulted  Lieut.  Whipple,  the  acting  astronomer  at  the  time, 
professionally,  in  December  last,  in  regard  to  the  point  from  whence 
the  line  should  depart  from  the  Rio  Grande.  The  point  agreed  upon 
is  about  thirty-four  miles,  or  29'  36"  of  latitude  farther  north  than  that 
which  would  have  been  adopted  if  Mr.  Whipple’s  opinion  had  pre- 
vailed. The  correspondence  on  that  subject  is  hereto  annexed,  marked 
E,  F,  G.J  It  is  a part  of  Lieutenant  Whipple’s  official  correspondence 
turned  over  to  me,  when  I relieved  him  here. 

The  accompanying  hasty  sketch,  marked  A,  will  show  the  manner 
in  which  that  line  was  being  traced  when  I joined  the  commission. 
When  it  was  suspended  under  the  protest  of  Mr.  Gray,  it  had  pro- 
gressed as  far  upon  the  great  circle  (or  chord,  in  projection,  of  the 


*See  No.  107  of  this  Appendix, 
f The  same  as  No.  112  of  this  Appendix. 

JThe  same  as  Nos.  185,  186,  and  187  of  this  Appendix. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


179 


parallel  of  latitude)  as  the  point  marked  station  12 ; that  is  to  say,  about 
seventy-five  miles  west  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The  points  on  the  curve, 
however,  had  only  been  laid  down  as  far  as  the  point  marked  sta- 
tion 8. 

A triangulation  which  was  going  on  in  order  to  determine  the  extent 
of  the  three  degrees  of  longitude  .with  accuracy,  had  progressed  as  far 
as  the  same  point. 

1 hereto  attach  also  a hasty  extract  from  the  treaty  map  of  Disturnell 
of  1847,  showing  the  line  A B,  marked  as  the  southern  boundary  of 
New  Mexico,  and  the  line  C D which  was  actually  being  traced  as 
the  boundary  when  its  progress  was  suspended  under  the  protest ; 
making  a difference  of  territory  of  about  5,950  square  miles. 

Although  Mr.  Bartlett  designated  Lieutenant  Whipple  to  act  as 
surveyor  during  the  temporary  absence  of  A.  B.  Gray,  esq.,  it  was  not 
until  the  23d  of  April,  1851,  after  the  initial  point  on  the  Rio  Grande 
had  been  agreed  upon  by  himself  and  the  Mexican  commissioner,  and 
the  astronomical  observations  were  all  completed  at  that  point.  Lieu- 
tenant Whipple’s  function  was  confined  to  the  mere  tracing  of  the  line 
after  it  had  been  agreed  upon  by  the  two  commissioners.  He  had  no 
voice  whatever  in  the  deliberations  or  decision  as  to  the  position  of 
that  point. 

1 allude  to  these  circumstances,  sir,  to  show,  as  I trust  it  will,  how 
important  it  was  that  I should  not  surrender  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Bartlett,  on  his  demand — being,  as  it  was,  in  defiance  of  his  instruc- 
tions from  you — the  responsible  position  to  which  you  had  assigned 
me.  He  undertook  to  repudiate  me  publicly  before  the  scientific  corps, 
as  its  appointed  “head,”  and  then  demanded  that  1 should  surrender 
the  function  assigned  me,  and  the  surveying  instruments,  to  another. 

I did  all  I could  to  conciliate  this  question,  but  I felt  it  a point  of 
sacred  duty  not  to  compromise  the  President’s  authority,  nor  to  allow 
it  to  be  tampered  with.  I asked  myself  the  question,  if  I surrendered 
those  instruments  into  hands  that  might  direct  their  use  improperly, 
would  I not  be  proving  recreant  to  my  duty  ? 

I weighed  the  matter  most  seriously  and  deliberately,  and  I could 
come  to  no  other  conclusion  than  that  it  was  my  duty  to  obey  the 
orders  given  me,  and  make  them  the  criterion  of  my  conduct.  I trust, 
sir,  I shall  meet  the  approbation  of  the  President  and  }rourself. 

I have  served  my  country  faithfully  and  industriously  for  thirt}*-three 
years,  amidst  vicissitudes  and  hardships  that  I will  not  dwell  upon 
here ; but  I will  say  that  the  most  painful  position  of  my  whole  life  is 
that  in  which  J.  R.  Bartlett,  esq.,  United  States  commissioner,  has 
placed  me  on  this  occasion,  in  not  only  repudiating  publicly  the  official 
position  in  which  }mu  placed  me  by  authority  of  the  President,  but  in 
declaring  that  that  position  was  in  violation  of  the  treaty  stipulations. 

I trust,  sir,  I need  say  no  more.  I throw  my  case  into  the  hands  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States  most  respectfully  for  his  disposal, 
conscious  that  I have  acted  but  from  a single  motive — a clear  sense  of 
duty. 

In  regard  to  matters  touching  the  commissariat,  I must  leave  them, 
for  want  of  time  to  enter  into  details,  to  the . explanations  which  will 
be  made  by  Lieutenant  Burnside,  an  officer  of  the  highest  honor  and 


180 


S.  Doc.  121, 


the  highest  merit,  in  whose  statements  the  most  imp-licit  confidence 
may  be  placed.  I send  him  as  special  bearer  of  this  despatch. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant,. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Bt.  Lt.  Col , Topographical  Engineers , Principal  Astronomer 
and  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps  on  the  part  of  the  U,  S. 
Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior , $*c.,  fyc.,  Washington. 


No.  122. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Lieutenant  Tillinghast. 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  21, 1851. 

Sir:  Three  wagons  belonging  to  the  boundaiy  commission  will  meet 
you  on  their  way  to  Frontera  to  bring  provisions  from  thence,  under 
the  commissioner’s  requisition  for  the  Gila  expedition,  and  to  supply 
this  post.  The  quantity  required  is  shown  by  the  within  requisition 
I request  that  you  will  despatch  Mr.  Garner  back  to  Frontera  with 
these  wagons,  with  instructions  to  have  them  loaded,  agreeably  to  the 
requisition,  and  then  to  proceed  in  charge  of  them  to  this  place  with  as 
little  delay  as  practicable. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Bvt.  Lt.  Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps , ^t.,  <$r. 

Lieut.  O.  H.  Tillinghast, 

U.  S.  A .,  Quartermaster  and  Commissary  U.  S.  B.  C. 


No.  123. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham . 

United  States  Boundary  Commission, 

Santa  Rita  del  Cohre , August  21,  1851. 

Sir:  Mr.  A.  B.  Gray,  United  States  surveyor,  has  just  sent  me  the 
names  of  the  persons  he  has  selected  to  aid  him  in  the  linear  survey  of 
the  Gila.  I enclose  you  a copy  of  his  programme  and  requisition  for 
provisions,  and,  as  requested  by  him,  desire  that  the  names  of  the 
laborers  and  servants  he  has  hired  may  be  placed  on  the  roll  of  the 
quartermaster,  and  the  subsistence  issued  accordingly. 

Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple  has  sent  me  the  names  of  Alexander 
McDonald  and  Bernard  Marron,  whom  he  has  employed  as  laborers  in 
the  astronomical  department. 


S.  Doc.  121.  181 

I have  also  to  request  that  their  names  may  be  placed  on  the  quar- 
termaster’s roll,  and  subsistence  issued  thereon. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner. 

Lieut,  Col.  J.  D.  Graham,  Sfc.,  Sfc.,  Sfc . 


No.  124. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Copper  Mines,  August  19,  1851. 

Sir  : Mr.  Gray  directs  me  to  say  to  you  that  he  wishes  your  plan 
sent  up  to  him  for  examination  before  he  discusses  it. 

Yours,  very  respectfully, 

J.  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner . 

Colonel  J.  D.  Graham,  <$rc.,  Sfc..,  Sfc . 


No.  125. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  19,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  received  your  note  of  this  morning,  and  I send  to  you 
herewith  the  paper  showing  the  system  I would  propose  we  should  be 
governed  by,  which,  while  it  recognises  all  the  principles  laid  down  in 
the  instructions  of  the  23d  of  October  last,  will,  I trust,  be  satisfactory 
to  all  parties. 

I remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM,  Lieut.  Colonel , 
Principal  Astronomer , Sfc.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

United  States  Commissioner,  Sfc.,  Sfc.,  Sfc. 


No.  126. 

Colonel  Graham’s  programme , submitted  to  J.  R.  Bartlett,  esq.,  United 
States  commissioner,  at  the  Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita,  New  Mexico, 
August  19,  1851. 

The  following  system  is  adopted  in  conducting,  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States  boundary  commission,  the  surveys  for  defining  the  said 
boundary,  viz : 


182 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Lieutenant' Colonel  Graham,  as  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  will 
prescribe  the  system  of  conducting  the  said  surveys,  embracing  the 
forms  of  the  note -books,  and  the  system  of  laying  down  the  topography, 
which  shall  be  uniform  in  manner  and  style  throughout  the  work;  and 
he  shall  issue  such  instructions  to  the  heads  of  parties  as  shall  conduce 
to  a full  understanding  of  the  said  system ; taking  care,  however,  that 
the  lines  run  shall  in  all  cases  conform  strictly  with  those  -which  the 
joint  commission  of  both  nations  shall  have  adjudged  and  decided  to 
be  the  true  line  of  boundary,  under  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty. 

The  reorganization  of  the  scientific  corps,  directed  by  the  instructions 
of  the  23d  of  October  last  to  the  United  States  commissioner,  shall 
be  immediately  perfected  in  the  manner  therein  directed.  So  soon  as 
this  is  done  the  parties  shall  be  organized — as  also  therein  directed — 
and  they  shall  be  assigned  to  the  various  portions  of  the  work,  accord- 
ing as  those  various  portions  may  be  directed,  by  the  board  of  joint 
commissioners,  to  be  put  under  survey.  The  heads  of  these  parties 
shall  then  report  to  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps  for  such  Avritten, 
and  verbal  instructions  as  he  may  deem  necessary  to  a full  understand- 
ing of  the  duties  to  be  performed  by  those  parties.  They  shall  report 
their  work  to  him,  from  time  to  time,  as  he  may  direct;  and  he  shall 
make  report  to  the  United  States  commissioner,  as  often  as  he  may 
desire,  of  the  operations  that  are  going  on,  and  their  progress ; and  the 
said  head  of  the  scientific  corps  shall  be  held  responsible  to  the  said 
commissioner  for  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  scientific  depart- 
ments of  the  work. 

The  head  of  the  scientific  corps  will  be  charged  with  the  distribu- 
tion, to  the  heads  of  organized  surveying  parties,  of  such  instruments 
as  he  may  deem  necessary  to  the  performance  of  their  duties. 

In  case  A.  B.  Gray,  esq.,  should  choose  to  head  a surveying  party 
in  the  field,  that  party  shall  be  governed,  like  others,  by  the  foregoing 
regulations.  He  shall  be  consulted  as  to  the  organization  of  his  party, 
and  shall  be  supplied  wfith  the  necessary  instruments  for  the  same. 

It  shall  be  the  prerogative  of  the  commissioner  and  the  surveyor,  as- 
a board,  at  all  times  to  require  and  receive  such  information  from  the 
head  of  the  scientific  corps  in  relation  to  the  field-work,  as  shall  satisfy 
them  that  it  is  accurately  and  faithfully  done,  so  that  they  may  be 
enabled  to  authenticate  the  maps  showing  the  line  agreed  on  under  the 
treaty ; and  the  said  head  of  the  scientific  corps  shall  at  all  times 
render  to  them  full  information  on  this  point. 


No.  127. 

Mr.  Gray's  counter-programme^  submitted  to  the  United  States  commissioner 
at  the  Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita , Avgust  19, 1851. 

The  following  system  will  be  adopted  in  conducting,  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States  boundary  commission,  surveys  for  defining  the  said 
boundary,  viz: 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham,  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  as  under- 


S.  Doc.  121. 


183 


stood  by  our  government,  may  prescribe  a system  of  conducting  the 
said  surveys,  embracing  the  forms  of  the  note-books  and  system  of 
laying  down  the  topography,  to  be  uniform  in  manner  and  style 
throughout  the  work ; and  he  shall  issue  instructions  to  the  heads  of 
such  parties  as  the  United  States  commissioner  may  place  under  him, 
all  of  which  shall  conduce  to  a full  understanding  of  the  system 
adopted ; taking  care,  however,  that  the  lines  run  shall  in  all  cases 
conform  strictly  with  those  which  the  joint  commission  of  both  nations 
shall  have  adjudged  and  decided  to  be  the  true  line  of  boundary,  under 
the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty. 

The  reorganization  of  the  scientific  corps,  directed  by  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  23d  of  October  last  to  the  United  States  commissioner,  and 
as  interpreted  by  him  and  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  shall  be  im- 
mediately perfected  in  the  manner  therein  directed.  So  soon  as  this 
is  done,  a reorganization  of  parties  shall  take  place,  as  the  commis- 
sioner shall  prescribe  (taking  care  to  observe  the  terms  of  the  fifth 
article  of  the  treaty,)  and  they  shall  be  assigned  to  the  various  portions 
of  the  work,  according  as  the  commissioner  may  direct.  The  heads 
of  all  parties  placed  under  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps  shall  re 
ceive  from  him  such  verbal  and  written  instructions  as  he  may  deem 
necessary  to  a full  understanding  of  the  duties  to  be  performed  by 
those  parties.  They  shall  report  their  work  to  him  from  time  to  time, 
as  he  may  direct;  and  he  shall  make  reports  to  the  United  States  com- 
missioner, as  often  as  he  may  desire,  of  the  operations  that  are  going 
on,  and  their  progress ; and  the  said  head  of  the  scientific  corps  shall 
be  held  responsible  to  the  said  commissioner  for  the  successful  prose- 
cution of  the  scientific  departments  of  the  work  placed  under  him. 
The  head  of  the  scientific  corps  will  be  charged  with  the  distribution, 
to  the  heads  of  organized  parties,  of  such  instruments  as,  under 
the  circumstances  in  which  we  are  now  placed,  he  shall  deem  necessary 
to  the  performance  of  their  duties. 

In  case  the  United  States  surveyor,  commissioned  under  the  fifth 
article  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  shall  choose  to  head  a 
surveying  party  in  the  field,  that  party  shall  be  governed,  like  others, 
by  the  foregoing  regulations.  He  shall  be  consulted  as  to  the  organi- 
zation of  that  party,  and  shall  be  supplied  with  the  necessary  instru- 
ments for  the  same.  It  shall  be  the  prerogative  of  the  commissioner 
and  surveyor  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  as  a board,  at  all  times 
to  require  and  receive  such  information  from  the  head  of  the  scientific 
corps  in  relation  to  the  field-work  as  shall  satisfy  them  that  it  is  accu- 
rately and  faithfully  done,  so  that  they  may  be  enabled  to  authenticate 
the  maps  showing  the  line  agreed  on  under  the  treaty ; and  the  said 
head  of  the  scientific  corps  shall  at  all  times  render  them  full  informa- 
tion on  this  point. 

That  the  surveyor,  under  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty,  shall  take 
the  direction  of  the  party  for  the  linear  surveys  of  the  Gila  river,  under 
the  above  system  ; and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Graham,  principal  astrono- 
mer and  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  shall  issue  all  instructions  to  such 
astronomical  party  as  he  may  deem  necessary  to  accompany  the  com- 
missioner. He  shall  further  have  charge  of  all  astronomical  and  sur- 
veying parties  on  the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte,  to  issue  such  instructions 


184 


S.  Doc.  121. 


and  such  orders  as  he  may  deem  necessary  for  carrying  out  the  stipu- 
lations of  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty — it  being  believed  by  the  Amer- 
ican commission  that  the  survey  of  that  river  should  be  prosecuted 
with  all  vigor  and  despatch — and  that  they  shall  immediately,  upon 
joining  the  Mexican  commission  upon  the  Gila  river,  as  per  agreement, 
procure  their  consent  for  the  same. 

Under  the  circumstances  existing  in  the  American  commission,  from 
a difference  of  opinion  relative  to  the  construction  to  be  placed  on  the 
instructions  to  the  commissioner,  of  the  23d  of  October  last,  from  the 
department,  the  foregoing  is  deemed  necessary  to  carry  out  the  faith  of 
the  government  with  a foreign  commission,  and  to  create  a harmonious 
spirit  of  co-operation  and  concert  of  action  on  the  part  of  officers  of  our 
government  whose  commissions  emanate  from  the  President. 

The  whole  subject  to  be  modified  by  any  orders  from  the  President 
of  the  United  States  hereafter,  or,  in  the  absence  of  such  orders,  as 
shall  be  judged  by  the  commissioner  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  in- 
terest. * 

[Rejected  by  Colonel  Graham  as  inconsistent  with  the  instructions 
from  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  of  October  23,  1850.] 


No.  128. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett L,  in  relation  to  the  Programmes . 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  21,  1851. 

Sir  : I endeavored  to  see  you  last  evening,  and  also  this  morning,  to 
return  to  you  the  accompanying  papers,  but  I could  not  find  you  at 
home. 

The  programme  which  I presented  on  the  19th,  while  I had  hoped 
it  would  conciliate  in  such  a manner  as  to  cause  the  work  to  go  on 
cheerfully  and  with  spirit,  preserved  the  principles  laid  down  in  the 
instructions  of  the  23d  of  October  last,  from  the  Department  of  the  In- 
terior. It  at  the  same  time  places  the  surveyor,  with  yourself,  in  a 
high  position  for  that  sort  of  supervision  of  the  work  which  may  be 
necessary  to  satisfy  both  your  minds  as  to  its  accuracy  and  conformity 
with  the  treaty. 

This  supervision  you  will  perceive  is  not  confined  to  a single  surveying 
party,  but  to  the  whole  work;  and  as  I understood  you,  when  1 pre- 
sented the  paper  for  your  perusal,  to  say  it  met  your  approbation,  I 
was  in  hopes  there  would  be  no  opposition  to  it  from  any  other  quarter. 

The  counter  proposition  from  Mr.  Gray,  which  you  have  allowed 
me  to  examine,  while  it  accepts  all  I conceded,  adds  conditions  adverse 
to  those  which  are  binding  upon  me  by  the  instructions.  Those  I can- 
not transcend  or  compromise.  It  will  be  a source  of  great  regret  to 
me  if  we  cannot  go  on  with  the  work  under  my  programme,  at  least 
until  the  decision  of  the  department  in  the  case  is  made  known  to  us. 
Surely  there  can  be  no  objection  to  acknowledging  the  system  pre- 


S.  Doc.  121.  185 

scribed  by  the  department,  until  the  matter  in  dispute  is  settled  by  the 
proper  authority. 

I respectfully  return  to  you  all  the  papers,  and  remain  your  obedient 
servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Principal  Astr.  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps . 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner,  fyc.,  Sfc.,  fyc. 


No.  129. 

Colonel  Graham's  organization  for  the  survey  of  the  Gila  river. 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  22,  1851. 

Sir  : I haVe  the  honor  to  present  to  you  the  following  organization  I 
propose  of  the  astronomical  and  topographical  party  to  be  employed, 
on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  in  the  joint  survey  of  the  river  Gila. 
I consider  this  organization  necessary,  and  I respectfully  request  your 
approval  of  the  same.  The  names  of  all  the  men  are  already  on  the 
quartermaster’s  list,  except  that  of  Harper,  and  I request  your  assent 
to  have  his  added  thereto : 

ORGANIZATION. 

Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple,  principal  assistant  astronomer  and  topo- 
graphical engineer. 

Assistants,  H.  C.  Force,  F.  Wheaton,  Hugh  Campbell,  J.  O. 
Donoghue. 

Instrument  carriers  and  attendants,  J.  R.  Neide,  B.  Marron,  Thos. 
Harper. 

Laborers,  James  Halstead,  Frederick  ShaafF,  A.  McDonald. 

Charles  Fitzgerald,  cook  to  Lieut.  Whipple. 

David  Smith,  servant  to  do. 

For  Lieut.  Whipple’s  assistants  and  the  other  members  of  his  party, 
one  cook,  one  servant. 

Two  arrieros,  one  herdsman. 

I would  recommend  that  wagons  be  sent  from  this  place  to  General 
Conde’s  camp  to  transport  a portion  of  the  provisions.  This  will  di- 
minish the  number  of  pack-mules  requisite  for  the  transportation,  as 
far  as  that  place,  of  the  subsistence,  &c. ; and  it  will  further  diminish 
the  number  necessary  between  that  camp  and  the  mouth  of  the  San 
Pedro,  where  supplies  may  be  again  drawn  from  the  Pimo  village,  at 
which  point  it  is  proposed  a depot  shall  be  formed  by  sending  wagons 
round  by  Colonel  Cook’s  road. 

1 have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col.,  Principal  Astr.,  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps . 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner,  fyc.,  Sfc.,  fyc. 

Approved : 


JOHN  R.  BARTLETT,  Commissioner . 


186  S.  Doc.  121. 

List  of  the  Astronomical  and  Topographical  party  for  the  United  States 
boundary  survey  of  the  Rio  Gila. 

ORGANIZATION. 

Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple,  principal  assistant  astronomer  and  topo- 
graphical engineer. 

Henry  C.  Force,  assistant,  eight  hundred  dollars  per  annum. 

Frank  Wheaton,  do.  fifty  dollars  per  month. 

Hugh  Campbell,  do.  sixty  dollars  do. 

John  O’Donoghue,  do.  sixty  dollars  do. 

J.  R.  Neide,  instrument  carrier  and  attendant,  thirty  dollars  per 
month. 

Bernard  Marron,  instrument  carrier  and  attendant,  thirty  dollars  per 
month. 

Thomas  Harper,  instrument  carrier  and  attendant,  thirty  dollars  per 
month. 

James  Halstead,  laborer,  thirty  dollars  per  month. 

Frederick  ShaafF,  do.  do. 

Alex’r  McDonald,  do.  do. 

. Charles  Fitzgerald,  cook  to  Lieut.  W.,  do. 

David  Smith,  servant  to  do.  do. 

Pablo , cook,  twenty-five  dollars  per  month. 


Guadalupe  Medina,  servant, 

do. 

do. 

Antonio  Avelos,  arriero, 

do. 

do. 

James  H.  Smith,  do. 

do. 

do. 

Thomas  M.  Fulton,  herder, 

do. 

do. 

I recommend  the  within  [above]  rates  of  compensation  as,  in  my 
opinion,  just  and  reasonable,  on  the  United  States  and  Mexican 
boundary  survey. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps,  tyc.,  fyc. 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  24,  1851. 

I approve  the  foregoing  list,  and  the  rates  of  pay  assigned  to  each 
member. 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT,  Commissioner. 


No.  130. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham. 

United  States  Boundary  Commission, 

Santa  Rita  del  Cotn'e,  New  Mexico , August  23, 1851. 

Sir:  Desirous  that  the  entire  force  of  the  boundary  commission 

should  be  actively  employed  at  the  earliest  possible  day,  while  the  sea- 
son, which  is  already  far  advanced,  continues  propitious  for  field-work, 


S.  Doc.  121. 


187 


I think  it  of  the  highest  importance  that  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande 
should  be  commenced  at  once,  and  carried  on  simultaneously  with  that 
of  the  Rio  Gila,  for  which  the  surveying,  astronomical,  and  topograph- 
ical parties  have  already  been  organized. 

I have,  therefore,  to  request  that  you  will  immediately  organize  such 
a party  for  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande,  to  perform  the  duties  neces- 
sary for  the  linear  survey,  as  well  as  for  the  astronomical  and  topograph- 
ical portion  of  the  work,  “ as  will  tend  to  promote,  in  the  best  manner, 
the  progress  of  the  important  work  before  you,  and  bring  it  to  as  early 
a completion  as  practicable.” 

To  the  party  or  parties  so  organized,  you  will  give  “ such  written 
and  verbal  instructions  as  you  may  deem  necessary  to  a full  understand- 
ing of  the  duties  to  be  performed  on  all  parts  of  the  work.”  You  will 
also  require  all  reports  from  the  heads  of  parties  to  be  made  to  you, 
from  time  to  time,  as  you  may  direct ; and  from  time  to  time  as  I may 
direct,  you  will  please  report  to  me  the  progress  of  your  operations, 
for  the  successful  prosecution  of  which  you  will  be  held  responsible. 

It  appears  to  me  that  the  proper  place  to  commence  the  survey  will 
be  at  the  astronomical  observatory  at  Frontera,  near  El  Paso,  and 
thence  run  down  the  river.  My  object  in  desiring  this  portion  of  the 
river  to  be  early  surveyed  is,  in  order  that  the  island  on  which  stand 
the  towns  of  Isleta,  Socorro,  and  San  Elizario,  may  be  permanently  se- 
cured to  the  United  States,  in  whose  territory  and  under  whose  juris- 
diction it  now  is.  A few  years  since,  the  main  channel  of  the  Rio 
Grande  ran  east  of  this  island.  It  is  now  west.  But  with  the  constant 
changes  of  this  river  at  its  annual  overflows,  it  may  abandon  its  present 
and  resume  its  former  channel,  thereby  transferring  this  valuable  island 
and  its  population  to  Mexico. 

A week’s  longer  delay  may  cause  an  irreparable  loss  to  us,  for  the 
tendency  of  the  river  this  year  is  again  to  the  eastward ; the  regular 
period  for  the  annual  rains  is  already  upon  us,  and  from  the  unusual 
aridity  of  the  past  season,  there  is  reason  to  apprehend  that  when  they 
do  set  in,  it  will  be  with  unusual  violence,  thereby  increasing  the  lia- 
bility of  our  incurring,  indeed  rendering  almost  inevitable,  the  loss  of 
the  island  alluded  to.  The  inhabitants  have  long  manifested  much  un- 
easiness, lest  by  delay  they  should  be  thrown  under  a foreign  jurisdic- 
tion, which  is  another  important  reason  v/hy  the  survey  should  be  hast- 
ened forward,  that  they  may  be  relieved  from  their  present  anxiety  by 
being  secured  in  their  property  and  protected  in  their  citizenship.  I 
therefore  deem  it  of  the  utmost  importance  to  survey  the  river  and  fix 
the  boundary,  from  the  observatory  to  the  foot  of  this  island,  with  the 
utmost  expedition  consistent  with  a proper  performance  of  the  work. 

The  survey  alluded  to  you  will  carry  on  until  you  receive  further  in- 
structions from  me. 

The  parties  for  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Gila  to  its  junction  with  the 
Colorado  having  been  organized,  viz : that  for  the  linear  survey  under 
A.  B.  Gray,  esq.,  United  States  surveyor  under  the  treaty ; and  the  as- 
tronomical and  topographical  portion  under  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple, 
it  is  my  intention  to  proceed  with  them,  on  Monday,  the  25th  instant,  to 
meet  General  Conde,  with  the  Mexican  commission,  on  or  near  the  Gila, 
there  to  enter  on  the  important  work  before  us. 


188 


S.  Doc.  121. 


In  your  programme  of  the  astronomical  party,  under  Lieutenant 
Whipple,  for  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  you  suggest  the  sending  of  wagons 
with  supplies  by  Cooke’s  road  to  meet  us  at  the  Pimo  village,  and  the 
mouth  of  the  San  Pedro.  This  plan  was  determined  on  by  me  after 
my  personal  examination  of  Cooke’s  road  for  nearly  two  hundred  miles, 
and  in  my  requisition  on  the  quartermaster  for  transportation  I included 
two  wagons  for  the  purpose.  These  wagons  will  prove  serviceable  to 
us  from  the  Pimo  village  downwards,  as  the  road  is  said  to  be  good. 

In  order  that  the  organization  of  the  party  or  parties,  for  the  survey 
of  the  Rio  Grande  proposed,  may  be  made  before  my  departure,  you 
will  please  present  a programme  of  the  same  for  my  approval. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT, 

Commissioner . 


Lieut.  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham, 

Principal  Astronomer , Sfc.,  fyc.,  fyc. 


No.  131. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 


Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  26,  1851. 


Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  of 
the  23d  instant,  which  was  handed  to  me  on  the  evening  of  that  day. 

On  the  following  morning,  when  I was  about  to  reply  to  your  letter, 
with  a view  to  obtaining  information  that  would  enable  me  to  proceed 
at  once  with  the  organization  called  for,  for  the  survey  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  I was  interrupted  in  my  labors,  alike  with  all  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  commission,  by  the  sudden  incursion  of  the  Indians,  who 
surprised  the  herdsman  and  drove  off  all  the  cattle  belonging  to  the 
commission,  amounting  to  ninety-four  head. 

I immediately  collected  a party  of  twelve,  from  the  gentlemen  and 
employes  of  the  commission,  who  were  armed  and  mounted,  and  sent 
in  pursuit.  A greater  number  could  not  be  equipped  for  want  of  sad- 
dles and  bridles. 

This  party,  headed  by  Lieutenants  Whipple  and  Smith,  of  the  to- 
pographical engineers,  immediately  pursued  the  Indians,  and  soon  res- 
cued the  greater  part  of  the  cattle.  Several,  however,  together  with  a 
number  belonging  to  Mr.  Hayes,  still  remained  in  their  possession. 
The  party,  therefore,  continued  to  pursue,  and  succeeded,  about  night- 
fall, in  surprising  the  marauding  band  in  the  highlands,  near  the  Gila. 
They  routed  the  Indians  and  retook  all  the  rest  of  the  cattle,  except, 
perhaps,  one  or  two  head.  The  pursuit  was  kept  up  for  thirty-five  or 
forty  miles.  The  party  was  obliged  to  sleep  upon  the  ground  where 
the  Indians  were  routed,  and  did  not,  therefore,  return  here  until  }’es- 
terday  afternoon.  They  were  too  much  fatigued  for  me  then  to  enter 
on  the  business  of  an  organization. 


I 


S.  Doc.  121. 


189 


I have  now  to  request  that  you  will  furnish  me  with  the  names  of 
all  those  members  oPthe  scientific  corps  who  are  not  already  assigned 
to  parties  under  your  authority  and  sanction.  I will  then  immediately 
proceed  to  obtain  such  information  as  will,  I hope,  enable  me  to  pre- 
sent to  you  this  afternoon  the  desired  organization  for  the  Rio  Grande. 

In  regard  to  the  period  of  beginning  the  survey  on  that  river  I would 
respectfully  suggest,  that  under  no  contingency  would  the  line  of 
boundary  marked  by  it  be  binding  on  the  Mexican  government,  unless 
it  be  by  a conjoint  operation  sanctioned  by  the  commissions  of  both 
governments.  So  soon  as  a meeting  of  the  joint  commission  takes 
place,  and  the  arrangement  is  concurred  in  on  both  sides,  I shall  be 
prepared  to  commence  the  work ; and  it  would  not  be  practicable  for 
me  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements  sooner. 

I have  to  request,  as  a preparatory  step,  that  you  will  make  appli- 
cation to  the  Department  of  War,  through  that  of  the  Interior,  for  a 
military  escort  of  one  company  of  troops,  to  attend  me  on  the  survey 
of  the  Rio  Grande. 

At  least  twenty  men  will  be  necessary  as  an  escort  from  the  mo- 
ment we  reach  the  foot  of  the  island  below  San  Elizario  until  we  reach 
Presido  del  Norte.  Below  the  last-mentioned  point,  until  we  reach 
Eagle  Pass,  a full  company  will  be  required. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . Col.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps , <^c.,  fyc.,  §c. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner , fyc.,  fyc.,  fyc. 


No.  132. 

Colonel  Graham's  Instructions  to  Lieut . Whipple  for  the  survey  of  the  Gila • 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  26,  1851. 

Sir:  You  are  charged  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  boundary 
commission,  (in  co-operation  with  such  officer  or  surveyor  as  may  be 
designated  on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  boundary  commission,  under  the 
fith  article  of  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,)  with  the  astronomical 
and  topographical  surve}r  and  delineation  of  that  part  of  the  boundary 
between  the  two  republics  which  is  marked  by  the  river  Gila.  It  our 
joint  labors  will  commence  at  the  point  on  the  said  river  which  shall 
be  agreed  upon  by  the  joint  commission  of  the  two  governments  as  the 
termination  of  the  line  overland  from  the  Rio  Grande;  that  is  to  say, 
at  the  point  where  the  said  line  shall  be  found  and  agreed  upon  as  in- 
tersecting the  first  branch  of  the  river  Gila;  and  they  will  be  continued 
from  the  said  point,  down  the  middle  of  the  said  branch  and  of  the 
said  river  Gila,  until  it  empties  into  the  Rio  Colorado.  You  will  per 
ceive  by  the  fifth  article,  that  the  middle  of  the  first  branch,  and  of  the 
river  named,  constitutes  the  boundary  line.  It  will  be  necessary,  there- 
fore, in  your  survey,  that  such  frequent  offsets  or  measurements  be 


190 


S.  Doc.  121. 


made  across  the  branch  and  river  in  question,  as  will  enable  you  to 
determine  the  width  with  sufficient  accuracy  for  the  projection  of  the 
line  indicating  the  boundary  in  its  true  position  upon  the  maps. 

Should  any  portions  of  the  said  branch  or  river  be  divided  by  islands 
into  one  or  more  channels,  they  should  all  be  surveyed,  and  the  one 
which  shall  be  found  to  be  the  deepest  will  be  adopted  as  the  line  of 
boundary. 

The  topography  along  the  line  and  in  its  vicinity,  embracing  the  po- 
sition, direction,  and  height  of  mountains,  also  the  course  of  all  tribu- 
tary streams  within  at  least  half  a mile  above  their  mouths,  should  be 
laid  down  with  as  much  accuracy  as  the  time  allowed  by  the  commis- 
sioners, who  will  descend  the  river  with  you,  will  admit.  The  system 
and  style  of  topography  will  be  that  which  was  adopted  for  the  north- 
eastern boundary  of  the  United  States,  with  which  you  are  well  ac- 
quainted. With  a view  of  perfecting  your  map  as  far  as  practicable 
in  its  geographical  features,  you  will  multiply  your  astronomical  obser- 
vations for  the  determination  of  latitudes  and  longitudes,  at  as  many 
points  in  your  progress  as  practicable.  Your  proficiency  in  the  science 
of  astronomy,  and  your  experience  in  the  practical  use  of  all  the  re- 
quisite instruments,  acquired  during  your  service  on  the  northeastern 
boundary  of  the  United  States,  and  also  upon  this  Mexican  boundary, 
would  seem  to  render  any  minute  instructions  from  me  unnecessary 
upon  these  points.  I will,  however,  suggest,  that  as  it  will  be  difficult 
to  obtain  differences  of  longitude  with  accuracy  by  the  run  of  your 
chronometers  exclusively,  over  a country  so  rough  as  that  you  will 
traverse, — where  you  cannot  go  and  return  over  certain  sections  of  it 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  travelling  rates  of  those  time-pieces, — 
you  should  not  depend  solely  upon  them,  but  that  you  should,  in  addi- 
tion, watch  for  the  occultations  of  stars  by  the  moon,  and  also  observe, 
at  important  points,  the  meridian  transits  of  the  moon’s  bright  limb, 
and  the  moon  culminating  stars,  as  often  as  practicable,  for  the  deter- 
mination of  absolute  longitudes. 

I recommend  that  there  should  be  such  frequent  comparisons  of 
your  field-notes,  and  those  of  the  officer  or  surveyor  appointed  on  the 
part  of  the  Mexican  commission  to  co-operate  with  you,  as  may  be 
necessary  to  insure  a coincidence  of  results.  Should  any  discrepan- 
cies inadvertently  arise  on  any  part  of  the  line,  they  should  be  cor- 
rected before  progressing  beyond  the  points  where  they  may  occur. 

You  will  continue,  as  frequently  as  may  be  practicable  without  de- 
taining the  surveys,  the  observations  for  the  magnetic  declination,  dip, 
and  intenshy  with  the  F ox  instrument.  The  assiduity  with  which  you 
have  already  carried  a magnetic  section,  embracing  the  above  men- 
tioned elements,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  this  place > over  more  than 
half  the  distance  across  the  continent,  renders  it  very  desirable  that 
this  interesting  line  should  be  continued,  after  the  same  system,  to  the 
Pacific  ocean.  When  completed,  it  will  furnish  to  the  scientific  world 
the  most  extensive  and  one  of  the  most  interesting  magnetic  sections 
which  has  ever  been  accomplished. 

The  forms  of  the  note-books  for  the  surveys  will  be  the  same  as  those 
adopted  on  the  northeastern  boundary  of  the  United  States;  and  for  the 


S.  Doc.  121.  191 

sake  of  a uniform  system,  you  will  please  require  all  your  assistants 
to  conform  thereto. 

The  last  paragraph  of  the  sixth  article  of  the  treaty  authorizes  ex- 
aminations to  ascertain  the  practicability  of  constructing  a road,  canal, 
or  railway,  which  shall  in  whole  or  in  part  run  upon  the  river  Gila,  or 
within  one  marine  league  of  either  margin  of  the  said  river.  You  are 
authorized  to  give  so  much  of  your  attention  to  the  examinations  that 
may  be  necessary  to  enable  you  to  report  upon  the  practicability  of  the 
improvement  c^jitemplated  by  this  article,  as  may  be  consistent  with 
the  performance  of  the  other  duties  here  assigned  to  you. 

When  the  field  duties  herein  assigned  you  are  completed,  you  will 
return  as  soon  as  practicable  across  the  country  to  El  Paso,  and  report 
to  me  for  further  duty  upon  the  line.  Should  the  United  States  com- 
missioner return  by  way  of  the  river  Gila,  or  by  Cooke’s  road,  you  will 
accompany  him  by  that  route ; but  if  not,  you  will  probably  find  the 
route  by  Mazatlan  and  Chihuahua  the  most  convenient  one,  and  you 
will  in  that  case  return  by  that  route  to  El  Paso,  and  there  make  out 
your  report  to  me.  A continuance  of  your  magnetic  and  astronomical 
observations  on  your  return  is  very  desirable,  and  is  particularly  en- 
joined upon  you,  as  far  as  it  may  be  found  practicable. 

For  the  travelling  and  personal  expenses  of  yourself  and  your  assist- 
ants, on  your  return,  you  will  make  the  necessary  requisition  on  the 
United  States  commissioner,  w'ho  has  charge  of  the  disbursements. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Pr.  Astr.  and  Head  of  S.  C.  on  the  part  of  U.  S. 

Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple, 

U.  S.  Top.  Eng.,  Pr.  Ass’t  Astr.,  fyc.,  fyc.,  Sfc., 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita. 


No.  133. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Colonel  Graham,  in  relation  to  Funds. 

Santa  Rita  del  Cobre, 

New  Mexico,  August  27,  1851, 

Sir  : In  order  to  enable  jmu  to  carry  on  your  work  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  and  to  furnish  the  commissary  and  quartermaster  with  the 
pecuniary  means  required  by  them  for  their  departments,  I have  placed 
funds  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Henry  Jacobs,  assistant  secretary  of  the 
commission. 

Any  vouchers  for  expenditures  approved  by  you,  or  by  the  commis- 
sary or  quartermaster,  will  be  paid  on  being  presented  to  Mr.  Jacobs, 
who  will  then  transmit  them  to  the  Fifth  Auditor  for  my  credit  as  dis- 
bursing officer. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  R.  BARTLETT,  Commimoner. 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Principal  Astronomer,  §'c. 


192 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  134. 


Colonel  Graham's  organization  for  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande . 

Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita, 

August  27,  J851. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  from  you  of  the 
list  of  members  of  the  scientific  corps  of  the  boundary  commission  con- 
nected with  the  surveying  parties,  which  I understand  from  you  are  all 
that  are  not  detailed  for  duty  on  the  Gila,  amounting  to  sixteen  in 
number. 

As  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  I will  now  present,  from  those  names 
and  others  attached  to  the  commission,  such  an  organization  as  will,  I 
trust,  enable  us  to  go  on  with  the  Rio  Grande  portion  of  the  boundary 
survey  with  despatch. 

Although  I have  had  but  little  opportunity  of  knowing  most  of  the 
young  gentlemen  whose  names  are  contained  in  the  list,  yet  I shall  be 
always  ready  to  impart  to  them  every  instruction  in  my  power  to  make 
them  acquainted  with  their  duties. 


I. — For  two  astronomical  stations. 


Lt.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham,  principal  astronomer  and 
head  of  the  scientific  corps  of  the  United  States 
boundary  commission. 

Lt.  W.  F.  Smith,  topographical  engineers,  assistant 
astronomer  to  head  of  scientific  corps. 

M.  Von  Hippel,  draughtsman  to  head  of  the  sci- 
entific corps 

G.  G.  Garner assistant 

James  Henning do 

P.  Crenion do 

J.  P.  Espy do 

J.  H.  Clark computer 

Charles  Wright do 

Wm.  White,  jr sub-assistant 

Thos.  W.  Jones do 


$1,500  per  annum. 

800  do 
60  per  month. 
60  do 
60  do 
60  do 
60  do 
50  do 
50  do 


Mechanics  to  each  astronomical  station. 


1 instrument  repairer,  with  tools. 

1 carpenter,  (Ferguson,)  with  tools. 

1 blacksmith,  with  tools  and  forge. 

3 laborers  to  each  astronomical  station. 

1 teamster  to  each  astronomical  station,  $25  per  month. 

1 wagon,  with  six  mules,  to  each  astronomical  station. 

1 instrument  ambulance,  with  four  mules,  to  each  astronomical  station. 
1 cook  to  head  of  scientific  corps,  $30  per  month. 

1 servant  to  head  of  scientific  corps,  $25  per  month. 

1 cook  to  assistant  astronomer  in  charge  of  separate  station,  $30  per 
month. 


S.  Doc.  121.  193 

1 servant  to  assistant  astronomer  in  charge  of  separate  station,  $2-5  per 
month. 

1 cook  to  assistants,  &c.,  of  1st  astronomical  party,  $30  per  month. 

1 servant  to  assistants,  &c.,  of  1st  astronomical  party,  $25  per  month. 
1 cook  to  assistants  of  2d  astronomical  party,  $30  per  month. 

1 servant  to  assistants  of  2d  astronomical  party,  $25  per  month. 

II. — For  two  surveying  parties. 


First.  — Charles  A.  Snowden $800  per  annum. 

E.  A.  Phillips 50  per  month. 

Two  chainmen 30  do 

Two  flag  bearers 30  do 

One  station  marker 30  do 

Two  laborers 30  do 

Two  teamsters 25  do 

One  cook 30  do 

One  servant 25  do 

Two  wagons,  of  six  mules  each. 

Second. — Thomas  Thompson 800  per  annum. 

A.  P.  Wilbar , 50  per  month. 

Two  chainmen 30  do 

Two  flag  bearers 30  do 

One  station  marker 30  do 

Two  laborers 30  do 

Two  teamsters 25  do 

One  cook 30  do 

One  servant 25  do 

Two  wagons*  of  six  mules  each. 


III. — Assistants  in  meteorological  department. 


1.  M.  T.  W.  Chandler. 

2.  Jam'es  H.  Houston,  sub-assistant $50  per  month. 

IV. — Quartermaster's  and  commissariat  department. 

T.  W.  Tansill,  clerk  to  Lt.  Tillinghast $70  per  month. 

Geo.  S.  Pierce. . . .do.  .Lt*  Burnside 70  do 


With  the  necessary  quartermaster’s  and  commissary’s  laboring  men, 
and  such  wagons  and  animals  as  may  be  required  for  the  public  ser- 
vice. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Principal  Astr.  and  Head  oj  Scientific  Corps. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Commissioner , fyc.,  fyc.,  fyc. 

Approved : 


13 


JOHN  R.  BARTLETT,  Commissioner. 


194 


S.  Doc.  121. 

[Appended  to  No.  134.] 


Members  of  the  boundary  commission  connected  with  the  surveying  parties  not 
detailed  for  duty  on  the  Gila, 

M.  Von  Hippel,  draughtsman. 

M.  T.  W.  Chandler,  meteorological  recorder. 

J.  P.  Espy,  jr.,  . do.  do. 

Thomas  Thompson,  second  assistant  surveyor. 

James  Henning,  computer. 

P.  Crenion,  do. 

J.  H.  Houston,  sub-assistant. 

T.  W.  Jones,  do. 

C.  A.  Snowden,  do. 

W.  White,  jr.,  do. 

A.  P.  Wilbar,  do. 

Raymond  Nias,  do. 

E.  A.  Phillips,  do. 

T.  W.  Tan  sill  do. 

Mr.  Wright,  assistant  computer. 

Mr.  Clark,  do. 

The  above  was  received  from  J.  R.  Bartlett,  esq.,  United  States 
commissioner,  at  the  Copper  Mines,  on  the  26th  of  August,  1851,  at  8 
o’clock  p.  m. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM. 

August  26,  1S51. 


No.  135. 


Further  instructions  from  Colonel  Graham  to  Lieutenant  Whipple  in  regard 

to  the  Gila  survey. 

In  Camp,  Sonora,  Mexico, 

September  7,  1851. 

Sir:  In  a personal  interview  I have  had  to-day  with  J.  R.  Bartlett, 
esq.,  United  States  commissioner;  General  Garcia  Conde,  Mexican 
commissioner;  and  Jose  Salazar  Y Larregui,  esq.,  astronomer  and  sur- 
veyor on  the  part  of  Mexico, — I have  been  officially  informed  by  these 
gentlemen  that  Captain  F.  Jimenes,  of  the  Mexican  engineers,  attached 
to  the  commission  on  the  part  of  Mexico,  has  been  designated  and 
charged  on  the  part  of  the  said  commission,  under  the  5th  article  of 
the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  to  co-operate  with  you  in  making  a 
joint  survey  and  delineation  of  that  portion  of  the  boundary  between 
the  two  republics  which  is  marked  by  the  river  Gila.  The  understand- 
ing by  the  joint  commission,  I am  informed,  is,  that  you  are  to  act  un- 
der my  written  instructions,  and  that  Captain  Jimenes  is  to  act  under 
the  written  instructions  of  Mr.  Salazar,  astronomer  and  surveyor  on  the 
part  of  Mexico,  in  this  joint  proceeding.  I am  much  gratified  that  an 


S.  Doc.  121. 


195 


officer  of  the  merit  and  scientific  qualifications  of  Captain  Jimenes 
should  have  been  selected  by  General  Conde  as  your  colleague  in  this 
important  work. 

You  will  please  communicate  with  Captain  Jimenes  in  regard  to  the 
joint  duties  assigned  to  you,  respecting  which  you  have  received  my 
instructions  of  the  26th  ultimo. 

I feel  assured  that  your  joint  labors  will  be  conducted  in  that  spirit 
of  harmony  and  professional  zeal  which  will  enable  you  to  unite  all 
the  information  you  may  obtain  in  the  course  of  your  surveys  in  one 
map,  to  be  completed  in  duplicate,  and  alike,  and  to  be  officially  ren- 
dered to  the  commissioners  for  authentication  and  deposite  in  the 
archives  of  their  respective  governments. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieutenant  Colonel , Principal  Astronomer  and 
Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps  on  the  part  of  the  United  States . 

Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple, 

U.  S.  Topographical  Engineers , fyc.,  fyc. 


No.  136. 

From  Mr.  Gray  to  Colonel  Graham , Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps , fyc. 

• In  Camp,  September  7,  1851. 

Sir  : By  a communication  just  received  from  the’commissioner,  I am 
directed  to  apply  to  you  for  the  instruments  necessary  to  perform  my 
duties  in  making  the  linear  surveys  for  the  demarcation  of  the  bound- 
ary on  the  Gila  river.  I would  not  apply  to  you  on  this  day;  but  the 
commissioner  tells  me  that  we  wi]J  start  early  to-morrow  morning,  and  it 
becomes  necessary  that  I should  be  prepared.  I will  therefore  be  glad 
if  you  can  furnish  them  to  me  at  your  earliest  convenience. 

As,  by  the  instructions,  you  are  held  responsible  to  the  department 
for  the  instruments,  and  are  charged  with  their  distribution  to  the  assist- 
ants and  surveyors,  as  you  may  deem  necessary  for  the  performance 
of  their  duties,  I will  be  accountable  to  you  for  the  same. 

I remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  B.  GRAY,  U.  S.  Surveyor . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

U.  S.  Top . Engineers , Chief  Astronomer , <J'c. 


No.  137. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Col . Graham , Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps . 

United  States  Boundary  Commission, 

In  Camp  on  the  Rio  San  Pedro , Sonora , September  9,  1851. 
Sir  : At  a meeting  of  the  joint  commission,  held  in  camp  on  the  7th 
instant,  I stated  that  a party  had  been  organized,  under  your  direction, 


196  S.  Doc.  121. 

for  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande,  to  be  continued  until  further  orders? 
from  me. 

The  Mexican  commissioner  consented  to  this,  and  agreed  that  Mr# 
Salazar,  surveyor  and  chief  astronomer  of  the  Mexican  commission, 
should  co-operate  with  you  in  that  work. 

It  is  desirable,  therefore,  that  you  should  proceed  with  this  business 
with  all  due  despatch,  as  the  season  is  already  far  advanced. 

The  survey  of  this  river  will  begin  at  32°  22'  north  latitude,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the'  above. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT  , Commissioner . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Principal  Astronomer , Sfc.,  fyc.,  fyc. 


No.  13S. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Mr.  Gray • 

In  Camp  on  the  River  San  Pedro, 

September  10,  1851. 

Sir  : My  official  engagements  have  prevented  my  answering  your 
note  of  the  7th  inst.  at  an  earlier  moment  than  this. 

The  party  for  the  astronomical  *and  topographical  survey  of  the 
boundary  along  the'  river  Gila  was  organized  by  me,  at  the  Copper 
Mines  of  Santa  Rita,  on  the  22d  ultimo,  in  accordance  with  the  in- 
structions of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  of  October  23d,  1850,  ad- 
dressed to  the  United  States  commissioner,  and  was  approved  by  him. 
This  party  was  instructed  by  me  as^o  the  manner  in  which  the  duty 
was  to  be  performed,  and  was  supplied  with  all  the  necessary  instru- 
ments for  the  purpose. 

I do  not  deem  the  issue  of  any  additional  instruments  necessary  for 
the  accomplishment  of  this  object;  nor  coukl  I undertake  to  be  respon- 
sible for  the  successful  prosecution  of  any  portion  of  the  work  by  par- 
ties not  reporting  to  me  and  receiving  and  acting  under  my  instructions, 
as  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  as  is  required  by  the  aforesaid  instruc- 
tions from  the  Department  of  the  Interior. 

I am,  sir,  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col.,  Principal  Astronomer  and  Head  of  the 

Scientific  Corps  on  the  part  of  the  United  States . 

A.  B.  Gray,  Esq.,  Surveyor . 


197 


S.  Doc  121. 

No.  139. 

Circular  issued  by  the  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps, 

Camp  on  the  River  San  Pedro, 

September  10,  1851. 

1.  All  officers,  surveyors,  or  assistants,  having  charge  of  separate 
parties  upon  the  ^survey,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  of  the  bound- 
ary under  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  will  make  out  and  trans- 
mit to  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  on  the  1st  day  of  every  month, 
written  reports  of  the  progress  of  the  work  during  the  preceding  month, 
and  of  the  strength  of  their  respective  parties. 

2.  At  the  end  of  every  quarter  a return  will  be  made  to  the  head  of 
the  scientific  corps,  by  each  officer,  surveyor,  or  assistant  in  charge  of 
a party,  of  the  instruments  and  books  in  his  charge  belonging  to  the 
boundary  commission,  stating  their  condition  at  the  date  of  the  re- 
turn. 

3.  A form  for  the  note-books  in  each  department  of  the  work  will  be 
prescribed  by  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  which  will  be  observed 
alike  by  all  heads  of  parties  and  their  assistants. 

4.  All  official  communications  from  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps 
will  be  answered  in  writing  as  soon  as  received. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut,  Col.,  Prin.  Astr .,  and  Head  the  Scientific  Corps, 


No.  140. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Lieutenant  Whipple. 

Santa  Cruz,  Sonora,  September  27,  1851. 
Sir  : Should  either  of  the  commissioners  return  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Gila  (after  the  survey  of  that  river  is  completed)  to  El  Paso  del 
Norte  by  a shorter  route  than  that  by  Mazatlai  and  Chihuahua,  you 
will  please  adopt  the  same  route  for  your  party. 

Mr.  Bartlett,  United  States  commissioner,  will  probably  go  to  San 
Diego;  but  General  Conde  informs  me  he  intends  to  return  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Gila  to  El  Paso  by  the  most  direct  route,  through  Sonora, 
in  order  to  reach  the  latter  place  as  early  as  practicable  after  the  sur- 
vey of  the  Gila  is  finished.  This  will  afford  you  the  best  opportunity 
to  join  me  at  El  Paso,  after  finishing  your  labors  on  the  Gila,  and  I re- 
quest that  you  will  avail  yourself  of  it.  You  will  of  course  bring  with 
you  all  your  note-books,  in  order  that  the  astronomical  calculations 
and  the  plotting  of  your  work  may  go  on  after  your  return  to  El  Paso. 

The  American  commission  informs  me  that  the  point  where  the 
boundary  line  will  touch  the  Gila  is  yet  an  open  question.  The  sur- 
vey will  begin,  on  that  river,  at  such  point  as  the  American  commis- 
sion may  indicate  to  you. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 
Lieut.  Col.,  Prin.  Astr.,  fyc.,  fyc,,  fyc, 
Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple,  U.  S.  Top.  Engs., 

Camp  on  the  River  San  Pedro * 


198 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  X41. 


Colonel  Graham's  instructions  to  Mr,  Charles  Wright. 

Fort  Fillmore,  November  8,  1851, 

Sir  : You  are  charged  with  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande  from 
Dona  Ana  to  Frontera,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte.  Mr.  Wm.  White  will 
act  as  your  assistant.  Your  party  having  been  organized  and  fur- 
nished with  provisions  and  transportation,  you  will  please  commence 
this  duty  without  delay. 

You  will  lay  down  all  villages  and  habitations  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  river,  and  as  much  of  the  adjacent  topography  as  can  be 
done  without  too  much  retarding  the  work.  The  ranges  of  mountains 
in  view  from  your  route  may  be  laid  down  with  sufficient  accuracy  for 
the  object  in  view  by  taking  frequent  bearings  from  various  points 
along  your  line  of  survey  to  remarkable  summits,  of  points,  and 
sketches  of  the  general  contour  between  these  points. 

Should  there  be  islands  in  the  portion  of  the  river  assigned  to  you, 
they  will  be  surveyed  with  care  ; immediately  after  which  you  will 
notify  me,  and  will  proceed  to  ascertain,  by  necessary  soundings,  w hich 
is  the  deepest  channel  adjacent  thereto,  and  you  will  make  report  of 
the  result  of  this  examination. 

You  will  please  cause  your  surveying  chain  to  be  compared,  fre- 
quently, with  the  standard  measure,  which  has  been  furnished  to 
you,  in  order  that  your  measurements  may  be  correctly  reduced  m 
plotting  your  work. 

I herewith  enclose  to  you  a circular,*  by  which  you  will  be  governed 
in  making  your  reports,  instrument  returns,  &c. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Head  of  the  Scientijic  Corps. 

Charles  Wright,  flsq. 


No.  142. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Lieutenant  Huff'  C.  Green. 

Fort  Fillmore,  November  8,  1851. 
Sir  : Mr.  Wright,  of  the  boundary  commission,  has  been  assigned 
to  the  duty  of  surveying  the  Rio  Grande  from  Dona  Ana  to  Frontera; 
and,  as  he  will  require  a small  escort  to  attend  him,  I request  that  you 
wrill  detail  a non-commissioned  officer  and  four  men  for  that  purpose. 
I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brevet  Lieut.  Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps  U.  S.  B . C. 
Lieut.  Duff  C.  Green, 

Commanding  Detachment  Boundary  Escort. 


* .N«>.  133  of  this  Appendix. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


199 


No.  143. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Don  Jose  Salazar  y Larregui . 

Frontera,  Texas,  November  12,  1851. 

Dear  Sir  : It  was  with  great  regret  that  I heard  of  your  indisposi- 
tion at  El  Paso,  on  my  arrival  here,  and  I beg  to  assure  you  of  my 
best  wishes  for  ^our  speedy  restoration  to  perfect  health. 

I will  endeavor  to  call  on  you  at  El  Paso  to-morrow,  when  I hope 
we  shall  be  able  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the  joint  sur- 
vey of  the  Rio  Grande,  in  compliance  with  the  resolution  of  the  joint 
commission  on  the  7th  of  September  last. 

I shall,  with  great  pleasure,  do  everything  in  my  power  to  push  the 
work  forward  in  such  manner  as  shall  be  agreeable  to  you,  and  best 
suited  to  accomplish  the  object  of  our  respective  governments. 

With  great  regard  and  consideration,  I remain,  very  truly,  your  obe- 
dient servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut,  Col .,  Principal  Astronomer , <^c.,  fyc.,  Sfc., 

on  the  part  of  the  United  States. 

Jose  Salazar  y Larregui,  Esq., 

Prin.  Astr .,  on  the  part  of  Mexico , El  Paso. 


No.  144. 

Sefior  Don  Jose  Salazar  y Larregui  a Senor  Don  James  D.  Graham. 

Paso,  Noviembre  13, 1851. 

Querido  Senor:  No  crei  necesario  contestar  la  muy  apreciable  de 
V.  fecha  de  ayer  porque  hoy  debiamos  vernos  en  casa  para  arreglar  el 
plan  de  trabajos  del  Rio  Bravo,  segun  me  dice  V.  en  su  grata,  despues 
de  manifestarme  su  sentimiento  por  el  mal  estado  de  mi  salud. 

Tuvo  V.  en  efecto  la  bondad  de  venir  a verme,  y aunque  de  palabra 
dige  a V.  cuales  eran  las  instrucciones  relativas  que  tenia  del  Sr.  Gene- 
ral Garcia  Conde,  no  tengo  inconveniente  en  darselas  por  escrito  como 
ofreci  a V.  para  satisfacer  sus  deseos.  Para  no  alterarlas,  copiare  ex- 
actamente  lo  que  dicho  Senor  General  me  dice  con  fecha 30  de  Setiembre 
ultimo: 

“Las  instrucciones  que  de  oficio  acuerdo  para  con  el  Coronel Graham 
sobre  los  trabajos  en  el  Rio  Bravo,  se  reducen  a lo  mismo  que  dige 
a V.  de  palabra;  que  nosotros  no  podemos  emplear  un  ano  y medio  6 
dos  anos  en  la  topografia  de  todo  su  curso  hasta  Matamoras,  porque  las 
instrucciones  que  tengo  del  Gobierno  se  reducen  a fixar  puntos  astrono- 
micos  en  las  orillas  de  los  rios,  y que  ellos  determinen  su  curso,  recon- 
ociendo  el  canal  para  fixar  el  limite  en  donde  haya  dos  6 mas  de  dichos 
canales. 

“Como  a esta  fecha  no  se  con  que  recursos  puedo  contar  en  el  Paso, 
no  puede  hacer  nada;  convendra  solamente  el  plan  con  el  Coronel  Gra- 
ham, y esperara  mi  llegada.” 

Sin  embargo  de  que  estas  instrucciones  no  mi  permiten  comenzar 
ninguna  clase  de  trabajos,  podre  arreglar  con  V.  el  plan  a que  se  de- 


230 


S.  Doc.  121. 


Dan  sujetar,  y hare  lo  posible,  para  emprender  algunos  tan  luego  cnmo 
este  restableeido  o lleguen  los  ingenieros  que  dege  concluvendo  ciertas 
operaciones. 

Quedo  de  V.  con  el  mayor  respeto  y consideracion  su  muy  atto.  S.  S. 
Q.  B.  S.  M. 

JOSE  SALAZAR  Y LARREGUI. 


SenorCoronel  Don  J.  D.  Graham, 

Astronomo  en  Gefe , Sfc.,  tyc.,  de  la  Comision 
de  los  Estados  Unidos. 


No.  144. 

[Translation.] 

Mr.  Salazar  y Larregui  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Paso,  November  13,  1851. 

Dear  Sir  : I did  not  think  it  necessary  to  reply  to  your  much  esteemed 
favor  of  yesterday’s  date,  because  we  were  to  meet  to-day  at  my  house 
to  arrange  the  plan  of  the  work  upon  the  Rio  Bravo,  as  you  propose  in 
your  letter,  after  expressing  your  regret  for  the  bad  state  of  my  health. 

You  had,  indeed,  the  kindness  to  come  to  see  me,  and  although  I 
verbally  mentioned  to  you  what  were  the  instructions  in  regard  thereto 
which  1 had  from  General  Garcia  Conde,  I do  not  hesitate  to  give  them 
to  you  in  writing,  as  I promised,  in  compliance  with  your  wishes. 

In  order  that  no  error  may  be  made  in  them,  I will  copy  exactly 
what  the  said  General  writes  me,  under  date  of  30th  September  last : 

“ The  instructions  which  I give  you  officially  in  writing,  in  regard  to 
the  work  with  Colonel  Graham  upon  the  Rio  Bravo,  are  the  same  as 
those  I mentioned  to  you  verbally : that  we  cannot  spend  a year  and  a 
half,  or  two  years,  in  the  Xopography  of  its  whole  course  as  far  as  Mata- 
moras,  because  the  instructions  I have  from  the  government  are  limited 
to  fixing  astronomical  points  on  the  banks  of  the  rivers,  and  that  they 
shall  determine  their  course,  examining  the  channel  in  order  to  fix  the 
limit,  where  there  are  two  or  more  of  said  channels. 

“As  I do  not,  at  this'time,  know  what  resources  I can  count  upon  at 
the  Paso,  nothing  can  be  done ; you  will  only  arrange  the  plan  with 
Colonel  Graham,  and  await  my  arrival.” 

Although  these  instructions  do  not  permit  me  to  commence  any  kind 
of  work,  I can  arrange  with  you  the  plan  which  it  must  follow,  and  I 
will  do  my  best  to  commence  upon  it  as  soon  as  I am  well,  or  the 
engineers  arrive,  whom  I left  finishing  certain  operations. 

I remain,  with  the  greatest  respect  and  consideration,  your  most 
obedient  servant, 

JOSE  SALAZAR  Y LARREGUI. 

Colonel  J.  D.  Graham, 

Astronomer-in-chief,  Sfc.,  tyc.,  Sfc.,  U.  S.  Commission . 


S.  Doc.  121. 

i 

No.  145. 


201 


Colonel  Graham's  instructions  to  Mr.  M.  Hippel. 

Frontera,  near  el  Paso  del  Norte, 

November  13,  1851. 

Sir:  You  are  assigned  to  the  duty  of  surveying  the  Rio  Grande, 
commencing  at  some  point  about  one  mile  above  this  place ; and  you 
will  continue  the  survey  down  the  river  until  you  receive  my  further 
instructions.  Messrs.  J.  P.  Espy  and  E.  A.  Phillips  will  act  as  your 
assistants  on  this  survey. 

You  will  include  within  your  survey  all  towns,  villages,  and  habita- 
tions in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  river. 

The  adjacent  topography  will  also  be  included  within  such  distance, 
on  either'  side,  as  shall  be  practicable  without  retarding  materially  the 
progress  of  the  work. 

Mountain- ranges  may  be  laid  down,  with  sufficient  accuracy  for  the 
accomplishment  of  the  -object  in  view,  by  observing,  from  a sufficient 
number  of  stations,  as  vour  work  progresses,  the  bearings  of  remarka- 
ble summits,  or  other  points,  and  then  sketching  between  these  points 
the  general  contour  of  these  ranges.  In  order  that  your  survey  may  be 
connected  with  the  astronomical  points  that  may  hereafter  be  estab- 
lished, you  will  lay  down  with  care  the  positions  of  all  churches  and 
other  remarkable  buildings  in  the  vicinity  of  your  line ; and  you  will, 
also,  for  the  same  purpose,  occasionally  designate  your  survey-stations 
by  stakes  driven  firmly  into  the  ground  and  properly  numbered. 

You  will  please  survey,  with  accuracy,  all  islands  that  may  occur  in 
the  Rio  Grande  below  this  place ; and  you  will  give  me  due  notice 
thereof,  in  order  that  a joint  examination,  by  soundings,  may  be  made 
of  the  channels  surrounding  these  islands,  by  yourself  and  an  officer, 
or  surveyor,  on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  commission,  to  determine 
which  is  the  deepest  channel,  and,  accordingly,  to  which  of  the  two 
republics  such  island  or  islands  belong. 

You  will  please  note  the  growth  of  the  soil  and  its  adaptation  to  ag- 
ricultural purposes,  and,  also,  whether  the  bottom  lands  are  subject  to 
overflow. 

Your  surveyor’s  chains  should  be  frequently  compared  with  the 
standard-rod  furnished  to  you,  and  the  difference  noted,  in  order  that 
your  measurements  may  be  correctly  reduced  in  plotting  your  work. 

I herewith  enclose  to  you  a circular*  in  relation  to  the  necessary 
monthly  reports,  returns  of  instruments,  &c.,  which  you  will  please 
observe.  * 

I am,  verv  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps  U.  S.  B.  C. 

M.  Hippel,  Esq., 

U.  S.  Boundary  Commission. 


♦No.  139  of  this  Appendix. 


202 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  146. 


Colonel  Graham  to  Mr,  Hippel. 

Frontera,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte, 

November  14,  1851. 

Sir:  In  answer  to  your  inquiry,  I have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that 
your  pay,  as  draughtsman  to  the  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  was  fixed, 
at  the  Copper  Mines,  in  Augut  last,  by  J.  R.  Bartlett,  esq.,  United  States 
commissioner,  and  myself,  at  $1,500  per  annum,  with  the  understand- 
ing that  you  were  to  perform  surveying  duty  in  the  field  when  re- 
quired— this  rate  of  pay  to  commence  from  the  time  that  your  survey- 
ing duties  in  the  field  should  begin.  Mr.  Espy’s  pay  was  fixed,  at  the 
same  time,  at  $60,  and  Mr.  Phillips’s  at  $50,  per  month,  (both  now 
serving  as  your  assistants,)  to  take  effect  from  the  time  their  surveying 
duties  in  the  field  should  commence. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut,  Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps. 

M.  HrppEL,  Esq., 

U.  S.  B . C.,  Camp  near  El  Paso • 


No.  147. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Hon.  S.  Pleasonton , Fifth  Auditor. 

Frontera,  near  El  Paso, 

November  16,  1851. 

Sir:  I herewith  forward  to  you,  by  the  mail  which  will  leave  here 
to-morrow,  my  accounts  relating  to  the  United  States  and  Mexican 
boundary  survey,  to  include  th'e  31st  of  October,  1851,  by  which  you 
will  see  they  are  balanced  to  that  date. 

Please  acknowledge  their  receipt,  directing  to  me  at  El  Paso  del 
Norte,  via  Independence  and  Santa  Fe. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

' J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps , tyc.,  §'c. 

Hon.  S.  Pleasonton, 

Fifth  Auditor , fyc.,  fyc.,  Washington. 

P.  S. — Voucher  No.  26  will  be  handed  to  you  by  Lieut.  George 
Thom,  topographical  engineers,  as  it  is  in  his  care  at  Washington. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


203 


No.  148. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior . 

Frontera,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte, 

November  16,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  the  surveys  of  the  rivers 
Gila  and  Rio  Grande  are  going  on  in  accordance  with  the  plan  pro- 
posed, of  progressing  at  the  same  time  with  both  the  eastern  and  west- 
ern divisions  of  the  work.  The  survey  of  the  Gila  is  progressing  under 
the  organization  proposed  by  me,  and  approved  by  Mr.  Bartlett  on  the 
24th  of  August  last,  by  which  Lieutenant  Whipple  is  charged  with 
that  survey  on  our  part.  On  the  7th  of  September,  at  a meeting  of 
the  joint  commission  of  the  two  governments,  Captain  Jimenes,  of  the 
Mexican  engineer  corps,  was  designated  to  co-operate,  on  the  part  of 
the  Mexican  commission,  with  Lieutenant  Whipple,  in  the  survey  of 
the  Gila. 

This  expedition  is  accompanied  by  Mr.  Bartlett  and  Mr.  Gray,  and 
also  by  General  Conde,  the  Mexican  commissioner.*  It  is  expected 
that  this  survey  will  be  completed  in  January,  and  that  the  parties  will 
be  here  some  time  in  that  month.  , 

On  the  23d  of  August  Mr.  Bartlett  requested  me  to  organize  a party 
for  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande,  which  I completed  on  the  27th,  in 
the  best  manner  which  the  qualifications  of  the  surveying  corps  would 
allow,  and  on  the  same  day  it  was  approved  by  him.f  I was  also 
charged  with  the  direction  of  the  astronomical  work  on  the  Rio  Grande, 
to  be  assisted  by  Lieutentant  Smith,  topographical  engineers. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  joint  commission  on  the  7th  of  September, 
Mr.  Salazar,  astronomer  on  the  part  of  Mexico,  was  designated  on  the 
part  of  the  Mexican  commission  to  co-operate  with  me  on  the  Rio 
Grande.  He,  however,  informed  me  that  he  could  not  commence  this 
part  of  the  work  before  about  the  1st  of  November. 

He  arrived  at  El  Paso  about  that  time,  but  in  ill-health ; in  a few 
days,  however,  he  expects  to  be  well  enough  for  duty.  In  the  mean 
time  the  American  party  is  progressing  with  the  survey,  and  to-morrow 
I shall  put  a second  party  on  another  section  of  the  river,  so  as  to  push 
* the  work  forward  with  all  possible  activity.  On  the  13th  instant  Mr. 
Salazar  addressed  a note  to  me,  in  answer  to  one  from  me  of  the  12th, 
stating  that  since  the  meeting  of  the  joint  commission  General  Conde  had 
instructed  him  to  agree  with  me  as  to  the  j)lan  of  the  survey,  &c. ; but 
not  to  proceed  with  the  work,  on  their  part,  until  his  (General  C.’s) 
return  to  El  Paso,  which  will  not  be  before  January. 

I enclose  copies  of  the  notes  that  passed  between  us  on  the  subject, 
marked  A and  B,  (Nos.  143  and  144  of  this  Appendix.) 

We  are  to  meet  to-morrow  in  reference  to  this  subject,  and  I shall 
endeavor  to  induce  MV.  Salazar  to  agree  to  go  on  with  the  work ; and 
if  I cannot  succeed  in  that,  I shall  endeavor  to  induce  him  to  assent  to 
the  result  of  our  surveys,  so  far  as  the  partition  of  islands  may  be  in- 


Vide  page  47,  ante. 


f See  No.  134  of  this  Appendix. 


204 


S.  Doc.  121. 


yolved.  Although  I was  in  camp  with  the  joint  commission  on  the 
7th  of  September,  when  they  held  their  meeting  to  digest  the  plans  for 
the  field  operations,  &c.,  I was  not  afforded  by  Mr.  Bartlett  an  oppor- 
tunity to  be  present  in  order  that  my  views  might  be  given  on  these 
points,  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  the  department  to  him 
of  October  23,  1850,  although  I had  requested  that  such  an  opportunity 
might  be  afforded  me. 

All  that  I know  of  the  result  of  that  meeting  is  contained  in  Mr. 
Bartlett’s  letter  to  me  of  the  9th,  a copy  of  which  is  hereto  attached, 
marked  C,  [No.  137  of  this  Appendix]  and  what  was  verbally  com- 
municated to  me  by  Mr.  Bartlett  and  General  Conde,  in  presence  of 
Mr.  Salazar  and  Captain  Jimenes,  after  the  meeting  adjourned,  in  re- 
gard to  Mr.  Salazar’s  being  assigned  to  co-operate  with  me  on  the 
Rio  Grande,  and  Captain  Jimenes  with  Lieutenant  Whipple  on  the 
Gila. 

On  a subsequent  occasion  I called  on  Mr.  Bartlett  and  requested 
him  to  allow  me  to  see  the  record  of  the  proceedings  at  the  meeting 
alluded  to,  which  he  declined  doing,  although  I informed  him  the 
department  supposed  me  to  be  present,  and  at  least  to  know  what  was 
done  in  the  meeting  in  regard  to  organization  of  parties,  & c. 

I shall  do  all  in  my  power  to  have  the  whole  boundary  line  surveyed 
by  tho  end  of  the  year  1852,  which  I yet  hope  to  be  able  to  accom- 
plish if  I am  allowed  the  necessary  discretion  in  the  matter. 

The  line  across  the  country,  between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Gila, 
can  be  run  out  and  marked  in  three  or  four  months’  field-work. 

The  erection  of  the  monuments  can  also  be  completed  before  the 
close  of  the  coming  year. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt,  Col,,  Principal  Astronomer  and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps, 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior , Washington, 


No.  149. 

Colonel  Graham's  Report  to  Colonel  Albert , Chief  Topographical  Engineers, 

Frontera,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte, 

November  16,  1851. 

Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  report  to  you  that  the  surveys  of  the  Gila 
and  Rio  Grande  are  now  progressing  satisfactorily,  by  parties  organized 
and  acting  under  my  direction,  and  I have  now  reason  to  hope  the  sur- 
vey of  this  whole  boundary  line  will  be  completed  by  the  end  of  the 
year  1852. 

The  length  of  the  Rio  Grande  portion  of  the  line  is  estimated  by  those 
best  acquainted  with  the  sinuosities  of  the  river  at  from  1,800  to  2,000 
miles. 

The  line  across,  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  Gila,  can  be  run  and 


S.  Doc.  121.  205 

marked,  in  my  opinion,  by  three  or  four  months’  work  the  ensuing  spring 
and  summer. 

The  officers  of  topographical  engineers  attached  to  my  command 
on  this  duty  are  First  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple  and  Second  Lieuten- 
ant Wm.  F.  Smith. 

Lieutenant  Whipple  is  now  engaged  upon  the  survey  of  the  Gila,  and 
Lieutenant  Smith  is  to  co-operate  with  me  in  the  astronomical  work  on 
the  Rio  Grande. 

I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Major  Topographical  Engineers,  Brevet  Lieut . Colonel. 
Colonel  J.  J.  Abert, 

Chief  of  Topographical  Engineers,  Washington. 


No.  150. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

Frontera,  near  el  Paso  del  Norte, 

November  16,  1S51. 

Sir  : 1 have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  of 
the  5th  of  July  last,  on  my  return  to  the  Copper  Mines  from  Sonora,  on 
the  10th  ultimo. 

Mr.  Campbell’s  account,  alluded  to  in  your  letter,  will  have  been 
paid  when  this  reaches  }'Ou ; and  as  I have  balanced  my  account  with 
the  boundary  commission,  as  rendered  to  the  Fifth  Auditor,  I respect- 
fully request  that  a requisition  may  be  made  in  my  favor  for  $3,515  9S, 
arid  the  amount  paid  to  Lieutenant  George  Thom,  topographical  en- 
gineers, who  will  pay  the  accounts  mentioned  in  the  accompanying 
paper  R,  and  will  then  render  them,  in  my  name,  to  the  Fifth  Auditor 
for  settlement.  Very  little  additional  expenditure  will  then  be  neces- 
sary during  the  continuance  of  the  boundary  survey,  on  account  of  the 
instruments,  &c.,  for  the  scientific  corps. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut.  Colonel,  Principal  Astronomer , Sfc. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior,  Washington. 


R. 

Requisition  for  funds  required  on  account  of  the  scientific  department  of  the 
survey  of  the  United  Stales  and  Mexican  boundary  line. 


Amount  required  to  pay — 

1.  The  account  of  Gideon  & Co.,  Washington $492  00 

2  do Wm.  Bond  & Son,  Boston 331  67 

3  do James  Green,  New  York 242  00 


206 


S.  Doc.  121. 


4.  The  account  of  E.  & G.  W.  Blunt,  New  York •. ..  $1,444  56 

5 do E.  Draper,  Philadelphia 769  50 

ii do F.  A.  Lutz,  Washington.... 236  25 


Amount 3.515  98 


J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . CvL,  Principal  Astronomer , U.  8 . B.  C. 


Paso  del  Norte,  November  16,  1851. 

I respectfully  request  that  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
will  cause  a requisition  to  be  made  out  in  my  favor  for  the  above  amount, 
to  be  paid  to  my  agent,  Lieutenant  George  Thom,  United  States  top- 
ographical engineers,  at  Washington,  who  will  pay  the  accounts  above 
specified,  and  will  take  receipts  on  them  in  my  favor,  as  I have  forward- 
ed them  to  him  duly  certified  and  approved. 

He  will  then  render  them,  in  my  name,  to  the  Fifth  Auditor  of  the 
Treasury  for  settlement. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieut . CoL9  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps , U,  8,  B.  C. 


No.  151. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Lieutenant  W.  F.  Smith . 

Frontera,  November  17,  1851. 

Sm:  You  are  hereby  relieved  from  the  duty  of  acting  quartermaster 
and  commissary  of  the  boundary  commission,  and  will  please  turn  over 
all  public  property  in  your  possession,  belonging  to  those  departments, 
to  Lieutenant  O.  H.  Tillinghast,  quartermaster  and  commissary,  &c. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 
Lieutenant  Colonel , U.  S . B.  C. 

Lieut.  W.  F.  Smith, 

Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers , Frontera . 


No.  152. 

Dr*  Diffendciffcr's  certificate  of  the  illness  of  Mi\  T*  Thompson* 

El  Paso,  November  17,  1851. 

1 certify  that  Mr.  Thompson’s  health  is  such  that  it  would  injure  him 
to  walk  from  El  Paso  to  F rontera  at  the  present  time. 

W.  L.  D1FFENDERFFER,  M.  D. 


207 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  153. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Don  Jose  Salazar  y Larregui. 

Frontera,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte, 

November  3 9,  18*51. 

Dear  Sir  : In  pursuance  of  our  conference  of  Monday  last  I beg 
leave  to  submit  for  your  consideration  the  following  plan  I propose  for 
our  conjoint  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande — the  determination  of  this  subject 
having  been  committed  to  us  by  the  joint  commission  of  the  two  gov- 
ernments. 

1.  The  course  and  sinuosities  of  the  river  shall  be  run  out  by  means 
of  small  light  theodolites,  or  surveyors’  compasses,  from  the  point 
where  the  line  from  the  Gila  shall  strike  it  to  its  mouth,  and  the 
measurements  be  made  with  the  chain,  or  by  means  of  observing 
the  angle  of  subtense  of  a standard  rod  of  given  length  with  portable 
telescopes,  provided  with  spider-line  micrometers  attached  to  their  eye- 
pieces. 

2.  The  run  of  the  work  to  be  corrected  by  determinations  of  lati- 
tude and  longitude  from  astronomical  observations  at  suitable  points; 
these  points  to  be  connected  in  longitude  by  observing  signals  made 
by  flashes  of  gunpowder,  compared  with  the  local  time  at  the  two  or 
more  stations,  to  be  thus  connected,  whenever  the  necessary  facilities 
shall  be  afforded  by  visible  heights  within  convenient  distances  for 
making  these  signals  ; otherwise  by  the  transmission,  back  and  forth,  of 
chronometers. 

3.  All  islands  shall  be  surveyed  with  care,  and  the  channels  on  both 
sides  carefully  sounded,  in  order  to  the  determination  of  the  deepest 
channel,  (where  there  are  more  than  one,)  and,  consequently,  under 
which  jurisdiction  the  islands  shall  fall. 

4.  Soundings  shall  be  carried  out  from  the  mouth  (or  mouths,  should 
there  be  more  than  one)  of  the  Rio  Grande  to  a distance  of  three 
leagues  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  deepest  and 
best  channel  for  the  entrance  of  vessels. 

I believe,  that  by  placing  several  parties  on  different  sections  of  the 
river  at  the  same  time,  its  survey  can  be  completed,  after  the  manner 
above  described,  by  the  end  of  the  year  1852. 

I regret  that  your  instructions  from  General  Garcia  Conde,  commis- 
sioner on  the  part  of  Mexico,  should  prevent  your  co-operation  with  me 
at  once  in  the  survey  of  this  river,  because  the  government  of  the  United 
States  has  urged  the  pushing  forward  of  this  work  as  rapidly  as  we  can. 
A further  delay  would  cause,  on  our  part,  much  additional  expense,  as 
our  parties  are  at  the  same  cost  for  pay  and  subsistence,  whether  they 
be  working  or  not. 

For  this  reason  I have  thought  myself  justifiable  in  placing,  as  I have 
already  done,  two  surveying  parties  on  the  river.  I hope  you  will 
feel  authorized  at  least  to  join  with  me  in  the  determination  of  the 
deepest  channel,  wherever  islands  may  occur,  so  that  it  may  be  known 
to  which  of  the  two  republics  they  may  respectively  belong,  as  our 
survey  progresses. 

It  would  also  give  me  great  satisfaction  if  you  would  at  once,  or  as 


208 


S.  Doc.  121. 


soon  as  }7our  health  may  permit,  join  me  in  that  portion  of  the  work 
which  General  Garcia  Conde  is  willing  to  adopt,  and  in  which  the  fore- 
going plnn  concurs;  namely,  the  astronomical  work  for  the  determina- 
tion of  latitudes  and  longitudes  at  suitable  points  on  the  river,  as 
we  may  hereafter  agree  upon  them. 

With  great  regard  and  consideration,  I remain  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lieutenant  Colonel , Principal  Astronomer  and 
Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps  on  the  part  oj  the  V.  S. 

Don  Jose  Salazar  v Larregui, 

Principal  Astronomer  and  Surveyor  on  the 

Part  of  Mexico , El  Paso  del  Norte. 


No.  154. 


Don  Jose  Salazar  y Larregui  d Coronel  Graham . 


Paso  Norte,  Noviemhre  22,  1851. 

Muy  SeNor  mio  de  mi  aprecio:  Anoche  recibi  la  atenta  nota  de 
V.  fecha  19,  en  la  cual  somete  a mi  consideracion  un  plan  de  operaciones 
para  recorrer  el  Rio  Bravo.  Dire  a V.  que  no  podemos  menos  que 
convenir  en  lo  general  de  las  que  deben  practicarse  y que  por  lo  mismo 
no  dudo  que  haciendole  ligeras  alteraciones  al  plan  de  V.  quederemos 
definitivamente  arreglados.  Dichas  alteraciones  las  propondre  a V.  el 
lunes  6 inartes  proximo,  dia  en  que  espero  tener  el  gusto  de  pasar  a 
ver  a V. 

Soy  de  la  opinion  de  V.  sobre  que  empezandose  a la  vez  varias  sec- 
ciones  en  las  operaciones  del  rio  se  concluiran  a fines  del  ano  entrante. 

Tanto,  6 mas,  que  a V.,  me  es  sensible  que  las  instrucciones  del 
General  Garcia  Conde,  no  me  permiten  comenzar  a trabaja.r,  como  V. 
lo  ha  hecho,  segun  me  dice,  nombrando  secciones  de  ingenieros  con  tal 
objeto.  Para  este  paso  que  ha  dado  V.  se  cree  disculpable  porque  de 
otra  manera  sin  fruto  alguno  haria  V. gastas  de  consideracion;  y yo  no 
solo  creo  que  lo  es  V.  sino  que  esta  autorizado,  pues  en  la  junta  de 
Setiembre  ultimo  se  aprobo  el  plan  que  el  Senor  A.  B.  Gray,  y yo  for- 
ma mos  el  dia  anterior  a consecuencia  de  la  resolucion  de  los  Srs.  co- 
misionados  del  mismo  dia.  En  dicho  plan  parte  -3a.  al  hablar  sobre 
los  trabajos  de  que  V.  y yo  hemos  sido  encargados,  al  concluir  se  dice  lo 
siguiente:  “ C ualesquiera  de  las  partes  (de  uno  uotro  Gobierno)  puede 
comenzar  en  conformidad  con  las  instrucciones  de  su  comisionado ; y 
si  la  una  lo  hiciere  antes  que  la  otra,  esta  puede  6 hacer  los  trabajos  6 
satisfacerse  de  su  exactitud,  verificandolos.”  En  cuanto  a concurrir 
con  V.  para  decidir  cual  es  el  canal  mas  profundo,  en  donde  haya  islas, 
lo  hare  tan  luego  como  se  presente  la  ocasion. 

Aunque  las  instrucciones  del  General  Garcia  Conde,  no  me  aut^rizan 
para  comenzar  ninguna  clase  de  trabajos,  sino  que  he  de  esperar  su 
llegada  a este  punto,  terminare  la  contestacion  a la  nota  de  V.  dicien- 
dole  que  me  sera  tambien  muy  grato  trabajar  de  acuerdo  con  V.  en  la 


S.  Doc.  121.  209 

parte  astronomica  comoV.  desea;  y me  prometo  hacerlo  si  logro  salvar 
algunas  dificultades. 

Con  el  mayor  respeto  quedo  de  V.  su  atto.  S.  S. 

Q.  B.  S.  M. 

JOSE  SALAZAR  Y LARREGUI. 
Senor  Coronel  Don  J.  D.  Graham, 

Jefe  del  Cuerjpo  Cientijico  de  la  Comision  de  los 
Estados  Unidos , <^c.,  &fc. 


No.  154. 

[Translation.] 

Don  Jose  Salazar  y Larregui  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Paso  del  Norte,  November  22,  1851. 

Sir  : I received  last  night  your  esteemed  favor  of  the  19th,  in  which 
you  submit  to  my  consideration  a plan  of  operations  for  the  survey  of 
the  Rio  Bravo. 

I will  say  to  you  that  we  very  nearly  accord,  in  general,  as  to  what 
is  to  be  done,  and  hence  I do  not  doubt  that  with  some  slight  altera- 
tions in  your  plan,  we  shall  be  entirely  in  accordance.  I will  propose 
said  alterations  to  you  next  Monday  or  Tuesday,  when  I hope  to  have 
the  pleasure  of  calling  upon  you. 

I am  of  your  opinion,  that  by  commencing  several  sections  in  the  op- 
erations upon  the  river  at  the  same  time,  they  will  be  finished  by  the 
close  of  next  year. 

I regret  as  much  as  yourself,  or  even  more,  that  the  instructions  of 
General  Garcia  Conde  do  not  permit  me  to  commence  the  work  as  you 
have  done,  as  you  tell  me,  by  appointing  parties  of  engineers  for  that 
object.  You  are  not  to  be  considered  blamable  in  taking  this  step, 
because  otherwise  you  would  be  at  considerable  expense  without  any 
result.  And  I not  only  think  you  blameless,  but  authorized  to  do 
so ; because,  in  the  meeting  of  September  last,  the  plan  that  Mr.  A.  B. 
Gray  and  I formed  the  day  before,  in  pursuance  of  the  resolution  of 
the  commissioners  of  the  same  day,  was  approved.  In  the  third  part 
of  said  plan,  in  speaking  of  the  work  intrusted  to  you  and  myself,  in 
conclusion  it  says  as  follows : 

“ Either  of  the  parties  (of  one  or  other  government)  may  commence 
in  conformity  with  the  instructions  of  its  commissioner;  and  if  one 
should  do  so  before  the  other,  the  latter  can  either  do  the  work  or  sat- 
isfy itself  of  its  exactitude  by  testing  it.” 

In  regard  to  joining  you  in  order  to  decide  which  is  the  deepest  chan- 
nel where  there  are  islands,  I will  do  so  as  soon  as  the  occasion  occurs. 

Although  the  instructions  of  General  Garcia  Conde  do  not  authorize 
me  to  commence  any  kind  of  work,  but  to  await  his  arrival  at  this 
place,  I shall  close  this  answer  to  your  letter  by  saying  that  it  will 
give  me  great  pleasure  to  go  on  in  concert  with  you  in  the  astronomical 
14 


210  S.  Doc.  121. 

part,  as  you  desire  ; and  I promise  to  do  so  if  I succeed  in  removing 
some  difficulties. 

I am,  with  the  greatest  respect,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

JOSE  SALAZAR  Y LARREGUL 

Colonel  J.  D.  Graham, 

Chief  of  Scientific  Corps  of  U.  S.  Commission , fyc.>  fyc. 

‘ No.  155. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

Frontera,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte, 

November  24,  1851. 

Sir  : I had  the  honor  to  address  you  on  the  16th  instant  in  relation 
to  the  progress  of  the  surveys  upon  the  United  States  and  Mexican 
boundary  line.  That  communication  was  forwarded  by  the  mail  which 
left  here  on  that  day  to  go  via  Santa  F e and  Independence. 

On  the  17th  a second  surveying  party  was  put  upon  a section  of  the 
Rio  Grande  below  this  place,  so  that  we  have  now  two  surveying  par- 
ties actively  employed  upon  this  river  on  the  part  of  the  United  States 
commission. 

Although  these  parties  are  not  accompanied  by  any  representative 
from  the  Mexican  boundary  commission,  yet,  in  pursuance  of  an  agree- 
ment with  Mr.  Salazar,  the  Mexican  astronomer  and  surveyor,  (a  copy 
of  which  is  annexed,  marked  D,)  our  labors  will  be  authenticated  on 
the  part  of  that  commission  as  they  progress,  and  thus  be  rendered  final. 

We  have  now  about  sixty  days’  subsistence  stores  on  hand.  These, 
added  to  the  supplies  expected  by  Ponce  de  Leon’s  train  in  the  course 
of  the  present  or  early  in  the  ensuing  month,  will,  I trust,  enable  us  to 
push  the  work  forward  upon  the  eastern  division  with  a rapidity  and  a 
degree  of  accuracy  that  will  prove  satisfactory  to  the  two  governments. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Head  of  Scientific  Corps,  fyc. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  6fc.,  Sfc.,  §c., 

Washington . 


No.  156. 

D — (accompanying  No.  155.) 

Flan  for  the  conjoint  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande,  or  Rio  Bravo  del 
Norte,  formed  and  agreed  to  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham,  prin- 
cipal astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps,  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States  boundary  commission,  and  Don  Jose  Salazar  y Larregui , principal 
astronomer  and  surveyor  on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  boundary  commission. 
(November  24,  1851.) 

We,  the  undersigned,  in  pursuance  of  authority  delegated  to  us  at  a 
meeting  held  in  camp  on  the  7th  of  September,  1851,  by  the  joint  com-  tj 


S.  Doc.  121. 


211 


mission  for  running  and  marking  the  boundary  between  the  republics 
of  the  United  States  and  Mexico,  under  the  5th  article  of  the  treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  do  certify  and  authenticate  the  following  as  the  re- 
sult of  our  conferences,  held  on  the  13th,  17th,  and  24th  of  November, 
1851,  at  and  near  El  Paso  del  Norte,  in  regard  to  the  survey  of  that 
portion  of  the  Rio  Grande,  or  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte,  which  constitutes 
a part  of  the  boundary  between  the  two  republics,  under  the  aforesaid 
treaty,  viz : 

It  is  agreed — 

1.  That  the  course  and  sinuosities  of  the  river  shall  be  run  out  by 
means  of  theodolites  of  portable  and  convenient  size,  or  by  surveyors’ 
compasses,  and  the  measurements  made  with  the  chain  or  by  means  of 
portable  micrometer  telescopes  for  observing  the  angles  of  subtense  of 
a rod  of  given  length,  placed  at  various  distances. 

All  towns,  villages,  and  habitations  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
river,  shall  be  surveyed  and  laid  down  upon  the  maps,  and  also  the 
topography,  as  far  as  it  can  be  done  without  too  much  retarding  the 
work.  Should  the  commission  on  the  part  of  either  of  the  two  govern- 
ments, however,  find  it  inconvenient  to  make  this  survey  so  minute  as  is 
above  described,  the  said  party  may,  at  its  option,  confine  this  degree 
of  minuteness  to  the  inhabited  and  any  other  portions  of  the  river  that 
may  be  deemed  to  possess  sufficient  interest,  and  make  a more  rapid 
and  more  general  survey  of  the  other  portions.  Such  party  shall, 
however,  in  that  case,  satisfy  itself  as  to  the  correctness  of  the  more 
minute  surveys  of  the  other  party ; and  when  so  satisfied,  shall  au- 
thenticate it  by  signing  the  notes  of  survey,  and  the  maps  projected 
therefrom. 

2.  The  run  of  the  work  will  be  corrected  by  determinations  of  lati- 
tude and  longitude  from  astronomical  observations  at  suitable  points, 
to  be  selected  as  the  work  progresses.  Whenever  the  necessary  facil- 
ities shall  be  afforded  by  visible  heights,  within  convenient  distances, 
these  points  will  be  connected  in  longitude  by  observing  signals  made 
by  flashing  gunpowder,  compared  with  the  local  time  determined  from 
observation  at  the  said  points.  When  such  facilities  do  not  occur,  the 
connexions  in  longitude  will  be  made  by  the  transmission  back  and 
forth  of  chronometers,  showing  the  difference  in  local  time  at  such  sta- 
tions. 

3.  All  islands  shall  be  surveyed  with  care,  and  the  channels  on  both 
sides  ascertained  by  soundings,  in  order  to  determine  which  is  the 
deepest,  and  consequently  to  which  government  the  said  islands  be- 
long. Whenever  either  party,  or  the  surveyors  of  either  party,  shall 
have  surveyed  any  island  or  islands,  due  notice  shall  be  given  to  the 
other  party,  and  they  or  their  surveyors  shall  thereupon  proceed  to 
make  such  examinations  of  the  channels  as  may  be  necessary  to  deter- 
mine which  is  the  deepest ; and  having  agreed  upon  this  point,  they 
shall  make  a conjoint  certificate  stating  that  the  said  island  or  islands 
belong  to  the  republic  of  the  United  States  or  Mexico,  as  the  case  may 
be,  which  certificate  shall  be  signed  in  duplicate  and  transmitted  to  the 
commissioners  of  the  two  governments  for  their  information,  as  early 
as  may  be  practicable. 

4.  Should  the  Rio  Grande  or  Bravo  del  Norte  be  found  to  flow  into 


212 


S.  Doc.  12F 


the  Gulf  of  Mexico  by  more  than  one  channel,  all  shall  be  sounded,  so 
that  the  boundary  line  may  be  laid  down  along  the  middle  of  the 
deepest  one.  Soundings  shall  then  be  carried  out  from  the  mouth  of 
this  deepest  channel  to  a distance  of  three  leagues  into  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico, in  order  to  show  the  best  entrance  for  vessels  into  the  river.  Either 
party  desiring  it  may  extend  these  soundings  to  the  said  distance  of 
three  leagues  out  from  the  entranc?  of  all  the  said  channels,  the  result 
to  be  considered  as  for  the  benefit  of  the  navigation  of  both  countries, 
and  to  be  rendered  for  that  object  in  duplicate  to  the  commissioners  of 
the  two  governments. 

5.  Should  either  party  be  prepared  to  commence  the  survey  of  this 
river  before  the  other,  the  aforesaid  party  may  go  on  with  it,  conform- 
ably with  the  foregoing  articles,  and  the  result,  on  being  verified  and 
assented  to  by  the  other  party,  will  be  authenticated  and  agreed  to  by 
both,  and  be  so  reported  to  the  joint  commission  of  the  two  govern- 
ments in  writing  and  in  duplicate. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Lt.  Col.,  Principal  Astr . and  Head  of  Scientific  Corps 

on  the  part  of  the  United  States. 
JOSE  SALAZAR  Y LARREGUL 
Frontera,  near  El  Paso  Del  Norte, 

November  24,  1851. 


No.  156. 

[Duplicate  in  Spanish.] 

Plan  para  los  trabajos  unidos  del  Rio  Grande , 6 Rio  Bravo  del  Norte , 
formado  y convcnido  por  el  Teniente  Coronel  Don  J.  D.  Graham , astron- 
omo  principal  y gefe  del  cuerpo  cientifico  por  parte  de  la  common  de 
limites  de  los  Estados  Unidos , y Don  Jose  Salazar  y Larregui , aslronomo 
principal  y agrimensor  por  parte  de  la  Mexicana. 

Nos,  los  infraescritos,  conforme  a la  autoridad,  que  en  la  junta  de 
7 de  Setiembre  de  1851,  nos  delego  la  comision  unida  para  recorrer  y 
demarcar  los  limites  entre  las  dos  republicas  de  los  Estados  Unidos,  y 
de  Mexico,  segun  el  art.  5 del  tratado  de  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  cer- 
tificamos  y autorizamos  el  seguiente  como  resultado  de  nuestras  con- 
ferencias  tenidas  en  y cerca  del  Paso  del  Norte  los  dias  13,  17  y 24  de 
Noviembre  de  1851,  sobre  las  operaciones  de  aquella  porcion  del  Rio 
Grande  6 Bravo  del  Norte  que  constituye  una  parte  de  los  limites  entre 
las  dos  republicas  segun  dicho  tratado,  a saber.  Queda  convenido  : 

1.  Que  el  curso  y sinuosidades  del  rio  se  Ueven  por  medio  de  teodo- 
litos  de  tamaho  portatil  y conveniente,  6 de  compases  de  agrimensor, 
y que  las  medidas  se  trazen  con  cadenas,  6 con  telescopios  portables  de 
micrometro  para  observar  los  angulos  que  subtende,  a varias  distancias, 
una  serial  de  longitud  dada. 

Todas  las  ciudades,  villas,  y lugares  habitados,  a inmediaciones  del 
rio  se  topografiaran  y pondran  en  las  mapas  estendiendose  ademas  la 
topografia  hasta  donde  se  pueda  sin  demorar  mucho  los  trabajos. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


213 


Sin  embargo,  si  la  comision  por  la  parte  de  uno  de  los  dos  Gobiernos 
tiene  inconveniente  en  hacer  la  topografia  tan  minuciosa  como  se  de- 
scribe antes,  dicha  parte  puede  segun  su  deseo  limitar  el  grado  de  pre- 
cision a las  porciones  habitadas  u a otras  del  rio  que  se  consideren 
dignas  de  interes,  y hacer  la  mas  rapida  y mas  general  en  las  otras 
porciones.  Sin  embargo,  dicha  parte,  en  tal  caso,  se  satisfacera  de  la 
topografia  mas  minuciosa  de  la  otra  parte,  y cuando  este  satisfecha,  la 
autorizara  firmando  las  datas  de  ella  y los  pianos  hechos  segun  ellas. 

2.  El  conjunto  de  los  trabajos  se  corregira  determinando  latitudes  y 
longitudes  por  observaciones  astronomicas  hechas  en  los  puntos  que  se 
elijan  al  progresar  aquellos.  Siempre  que  se  presente  la  oportunidad 
de  que  se  vean  puntos  elevados  a distancias  convenientes,  estos  se 
relacionaran  en  longitud  observando  senales  de  fuego  comparados 
con  el  tiempo  local  determinado  por  observaciones  hechas  en  dichos 
puntos.  Cuando  no  se  presente  tal  oportunidad,  dicha  relacion  en 
longitud  se  hara  por  transporte  de  ida  y vuelta  de  cronometros  que 
indiquen  la  diferencia  de  tiempo  local  en  dichas  estacione?. 

,3.  Todas  las  islas  se  topografiaran  con  cuidado,  y los  canales  de  uno  y 
otro  lado  se  sondearan  para  determinar  cual  es  el  mas  profundo,  y por 
consiguiente  a que  Gobierno  dichas  islas  perteneceran.  Siempre  que 
alguna  de  las  partes,  6 sus  agrimensores,  hubiesen  topografiado  una  6 mas 
islas,  se  dara  el  aviso  correspondiente  a la  otra  parte,  y ella  6 sus  agri- 
mensores procederan  a harcer  los  reconocimientos  necesarios  para 
determinar  cual  es  el  canal  mas  profundo,  y habiendo  convenido  en  este 
punto,  haran  un  certificado  unido  en  el  que  conste  que  dicha  isla  6 islas 
pertenecen  a la  republica  de  los  Estados  Unidos,  6 a la  de  Mexico,  segun 
sea  el  caso,  cuyo  certificado  se  firmara  por  duplicado,  y se  mandar 
tan  pronto  como  sea  posible  a los  comisionados  de  los  dos  Gobiernos 
para  su  inteligencia. 

4.  Si  se  encontrare  que  el  Rio  Grande  6 Bravo  del  Norte  desemboca 
en  el  Golfo  de  Mexico,  por  mas  de  un  canal,  todos  se  sondearan  para  de- 
terminar cual  es  el  mas  profundo,  y por  consiguiente  la  linea  limitrofe. 
Desde  la  embocadura  de  dicho  canal  se  haran  sondeamientos  en  el 
Golfo  de  Mexico  hasta  la  distancia  de  tres  leguas  para  marcar  la  meior 
entrada  de  los  buques  al  rio.  Si  una  de  las  partes  desea  estender  los 
sondeamientos  mas  alia  de  la  distancia  de  tres  leguas  para  la  entrada 
a todos  los  canales,  el  resultado  se  considerara  en  beneficio  de  la 
navegacion  de  ambos  paises,  y con  este  objeto  se  hara  una  relacion  por 
escrito  y por  duplicado  a los  comisionados  de  los  dos  Gobiernos. 

5.  Si  una  de  las  partes  estuviere  preparada  para  comenzar  las  ope- 
raciones  del  rio  antes  que  la  otra,  dicha  parte  puede  haceiio  en  conformi- 
dad  con  los  articulos  anteriores,  y el  resultado  verificado  y convenido 
por  la  otra  parte,  se  autorizara  y convendra  por  ambos,  y asi  se  pondra 
en  conocimiento  de  la  comision  unida  de  los  dos  Gobiernos  por  escrito 
y por  duplicado. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Astronomo  •principal  y gefe  del  cuerpo  cientifico 

yor  parte  de  los  Estados  Unidos, 

JOSE  SALAZAR  Y LARREGUI. 

Frontera,  Cerca  del  Paso,  Nov.  24,  1851. 


214 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  157. 


Major  Emory  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Near  El  Paso,  November  25,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  deliver  to  you,  by  the  hands  of  my  secre- 
tary, Geo.  C.  Gardiner,  esq.?  a sealed  despatch  from  the  Department 
of  the  Interior.  [See  No.  160.] 

I also  send  an  extract  from  my  letter  of  instructions  dated  Septem- 
ber 13th,  and  a copy  of  an  order  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
dated  September  15,  1851.  [See  Nos.  158  and  159.] 

I will  thank  you  to  inform  me  when  it  will  be  convenient  to  give 
me  an  interview,  in  relation  to  the  duties  devolved  on  me  by  these  in- 
structions. 

The  assistant  adjutant  general  at  San  Antonio  placed  in  my  hands 
two  packages  directed  to  you,  which  I also  send. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  H.  EMORY, 

Captain  and  Brevet  Major  Corps  Topographical  Engineers. 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Corps  Topographical  Engineers , fyc.,  Frontera . 


No.  15S — (Delivered  to  Colonel  Graham  with  No.  157.) 

Department  of  the  Interior, 
Washington , September  13,  1851. 

Sir  : Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham  having  been  relieved, 
by  orders  of  this  date,  from  duty  with  the  commission  lor  running  and 
marking  the  boundary  between  the  United  States  and  the  republic  of 
Mexico,  you  are,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  hereby 
appointed  chief  astronomer  to  the  commission  and  head  of  the  scien- 
tific corps. 

You  will  accordingly  proceed,  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  to  join 
the  commission  in  the  field,  and  relieve  Colonel  Graham  of  the  duties 
devolved  upon  him  by  the  instructions  to  the  commissioner  dated  23d 
October,  1850.  * * * * * 

Enclosed  you  will  receive  an  order  directing  Colonel  Graham  to 
turn  over  to  you  all  the  instruments,  instructions,  stationery,  and  camp 
equipage,  except  so  much  of  the  latter  as  may  be  necessary  for  Colonel 
Graham’s  convenience  in  returning  home : for  all  these  you  will  re- 
ceipt to  him  in  duplicate. 

#####** 

I am,  very  respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 

Secretary. 

Brevet  Major  Wm.  H.  Emory, 

Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers , Bresen\ 


S.  Doc.  121.  215 

No.  159 — (Delivered  to  Colonel  Graham  with  No.  157.) 


Department  of  the  Interior, 
Washington , September  15,  1851. 

Sir  : Lieutenants  A.  W.  Whipple,  W.  F.  Smith,  of  the  corps  of 
topographical  engineers,  Ambrose  E.  Burnside  of  the  third  regi- 
ment of  artillery,  and  O.  H.  Tillinghast  of  the  first  regiment  of  artillery, 
attached  to  the  commission  to  run  and  mark  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Mexico,  are  hereby  required  to  report 
themselves  to  you,  as  chief  astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps 
of  that  commission,  and  are  hereafter  subject  to  your  orders  as  such. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

N.  K.  HALL, 

Acting  Secretary . 

Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory, 

Chief  Astronomer , tyc.,  fyc. 


No.  160 — (Delivered  with  No.  157.) 


The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to  Colonel  Graham , recalling  him  from  the 
United  States  and  Mexican  Boundary . 


Department  of  the  Interior, 
Washington , September  13,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  to  inform  you  that,  with  the  approbation  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  you  are  hereby  relieved  from  duty  as  chief 
'astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps  attached  to  the  commission 
for  running  and  marking  the  boundary  between  the  United  States  and 
the  republic  of  Mexico.  This  will  be  handed  to  you  by  Brevet  Major 
Wm.  H.  Emory,  on  whom  your  duties  have  been  devolved,  and  to 
whom  you  will  turn  over  all  the  instruments,  instructions,  stationery, 
and  camp  equipage  (except  so  much  of  the  latter  as  may  be  necessary 
for  your  convenience  in  returning  home)  which  may  be  in  your  charge, 
or  under  your  -direction,  belonging  to  or  in  the  boundary  service. 

You  will  receive  from  him  duplicate  receipts  therefor,  and  file  one 
of  them  in  this  department. 

When  this  shall  have  been  done,  you  will  report  yourself  to  this  de- 
partment in  person. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

" ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART, 


Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers,  U.  S.  A. 


Secretary . 


216 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  161. 


Colonel  Graham  to  Major  Emory . 

Frontera,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte, 

November  25,  1851. 

Sir  : I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt,  to-day,  of  your 
communication  of  this  date,  together  with  the  documents  therein  men- 
tioned. 

I shall  be  ready  to-morrow,  or  at  any  moment  that  may  suit  your 
convenience,  to  give  you  the  interview  which  you  request,  and  to  com- 
ply with  the  directions  of  the  honorable  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  of 
the  13th  of  September  last,  in  regard  to  turning  over  to  you  the  instru- 
ments, instructions,  stationery,  &c.,  so  soon  as  the  necessary  invoices 
and  other  papers  can  be  made  out. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Major  Topographical  Engineers , Brevet  Lieut.  Colonel. 

Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory, 

Corps  Topographical  Engineers , near  El  Paso . 


No.  162. 

Major  Emory  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Near  El  Paso,  November  26,  1851. 

Sir  : I received  your  letter  of  the  25th  last  night,  and  will,  if  agreea- 
ble to  you,  be  present  at  your  post  to-morrow  at  eleven  o’clock. 

Mr.  Edward  Ingraham,  assistant  on  the  boundary  survey,  the  bearer 
of  this  note,  'will  prepare  any  papers  for  me  which  may  be  necessary 
in  the  transfer  of  the  property. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  H.  EMORY, 

Brevet  Major  Topographical  Engineers. 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Corps  Topographical  Engineers. 


No.  163. 

Major  Emory  to  Colonel  Graham. 

Near  El  Paso,  November  29,  1851. 

Colonel  : In  accordance  with  our  verbal  understanding  yesterday, 
I send  my  secretary,  G.  C.  Gardiner,  esq.,  and  Mr.  Edward  In- 
graham, assistant  on  the  survey  of  the  boundary  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico,  to  copy  from  your  invoices  the  receipts  which  I 


S.  Doc.  121. 


217 


will  give  }Tou.  At  any  hour  you  will  send  either  of  these  gentlemen,  to 
say  they  are  ready  for  my  signature,  I will  come  up  and  sign  them. 

It  would  aid  me  to  have  a copy  of  the  orders  given  by  you  to  the 
officers  ot  the  army,  surveyors,  and  assistants  on  the  work. 

I will  also  thank  you  to  inform  me,  if  in  your  power,  where  the  com- 
missioner is  at  this  time. 

I have  the  honor  to  be  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  H.  EMORY, 

Brevet  Major  Topographical  Engineers . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers , 17.  S.  A . 


No.  164. 

Colonel  Graham  to  Major  Emory . 

Frontera,  near  El  Paso,  November  29,  1851. 

Major  : I received  your  letter  of  this  date  this  morning,  by  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Gardiner,  and,  in  reply,  I have  to  state  that  I left  Mr. 
Bartlett,  the  United  States  commissioner,  at  Santa  Cruz,  in  Sonora,  on 
the  28th  of  September  last.  He  was  en  route  for  the  Gila,  intending  to 
accompany  the  surveying  party  down  that  river  to  its  mouth. 

He  informed  me  that  he  expected  to  be  in  El  Paso  by  January  next. 

So  soon  as  the  invoices  of  the  instruments  and  other  property  can  be 
completed  I will  give  you  notice,  in  order  that  the  receipts  may  be 
made  out  from  them. 

I will  also  have  copies  of  the  instructions  alluded  to  in  your  letter, 
and  enclose  them  to  you  as  soon  as  they  can  be  transcribed. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brevet  Lieut . Colonel . 

Major  W.  H.  Emory, 

Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers. 


No.  165. 

Mr.  Jacobs , disbursing  agent  to  the  United  States  Commission , to  Colonel 

Graham. 

U.  S.  Boundary  Commission, 
Magoffin's  Rancho , near  El  Paso , December  2,  1851. 
Sir  : I informed  you  on  the  30th  ultimo,  when  I was  at  Frontera, 

that  1 could  probably  furnish  you  with  $300,  and  Mr.  Lawson,  your 
secretary,  with  $250,  for  the  purpose  of  defraying  your  expenses  home. 

I yesterday  had  an  interview  with  Mr.  Magoffin,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  some  monetary  arrangements,  but,  in  consequence  of  the  requi- 
sitions of  the  commissioner,  made  in  July  last,  not  having  been  honored 


218 


S.  Doc.  121. 


by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  I was  unable  to  obtain  any  advance 
from  Mr.  Magoffin;  and,  in  fact,  the  requisitions  that  I now  hold  will 
not  cover  my  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Magoffin,  for  money  advanced,  by 
$1,500. 

You  will,  therefore,  perceive  that  it  is  entirely  out  of  my  power  to 
furnish  you  the  sum  required. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

HENRY  JACOBS, 

Assistant  Secretary  to  the  Commissioner , U.  S.  B.  C. 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Principal  Astronomer , fife.,  U.  S.  B.  C.,  Frontera. 


No.  166. 

Frontera,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte, 

December  3,  1851. 

Sir:  In  conformity  with  the  directions  of  the  Department  of  the  In- 
terior, of  September  15,  1851,  you  will  report  yourself  for  duty  to  Brevet 
Major  W.  H.  Emory,  topographical  engineers,  who  has  been  assigned 
by  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  Secretary 
of  War,  to  the  duty  of  chief  astronomer  and  head  of  the  scientific  corps 
of  the  United  States  boundary  commission,  for  running  and  marking  the 
line  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico. 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brevet  Lieut . Colonel  Top . Eng . 

Lieut.  O.  H.  Tillinghast, 

1st  Artillery . 

Lieut.  W.  F.  Smith, 

Topographical  Engineers. 

Lieut.  Nathaniel  Michler, 

Topographical  Engineers. 


No.  167 — (In  compliance  with  No.  163.) 

Frontera,  December  7,  1851. 

Major  : I enclose  to  you  herewith  copies  of  the  following  papers,  viz : 
No.  1.  Extract  of  instructions  from  the  Department  of  the  Interior  to 
me,  dated  October  23,  1850.  [No.  12  of  this  Appendix.] 

No.  2.  Instructions  from  the  Department  of  the  Interior  to  J.  R.  Bart- 
lett, esq.,  United  States  commissioner,  dated  October  23,  1850.  [No. 
13  of  this  Appendix.] 

No.  3.  Organization  for  the  astronomical  and  topographical  survey  of 
the  river  Gila.  [No.  129  of  this  Appendix.] 

No.  4.  Instructions  to  Lieutenant  Whipple  for  the  survey  of  the  river 
Gila,  dated  August  26,  1851.  [No.  132  of  this  Appendix.] 

No.  5.  Organization  for  the  astronomical  and  topographical  survey  of 
the  Rio  Grande.  [No.  134  of  this  Appendix.] 


S.  Doc.  121. 


219 


No.  6.  Letter  from  J.  R.  Bartlett,  esq.,  United  States  commissioner, 
to  me,  in  relation  to  fiscal  arrangements  for  paying  the  expenses  inci- 
dental to  the  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande.  [No.  133  of  this  Appendix.]^ 
No.  7.  Additional  instructions  to  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple,  United 
States  topographical  engineers,  in  relation  to  his  co-operation  with  Cap- 
tain F.  Jimenes,  of  the  Mexican  engineer  corps,  in  the  joint  survey  of 
the  river  Gila.  [No.  135  of  this  Appendix.] 

No.  8.  Letter  from  J.  R.  Bartlett,  esq.,  United  States  commissioner, 
informing  me  that  at  a meeting  of  the  joint  commission,  held  September 
7,  1851,  it  was  agreed  that  Mr.  Salazar,  astronomer  and  surveyor  of  the 
Mexican  commission,  should  co-operate  with  me  in  the  survey  of  the 
Rio  Grande.  [No.  137  of  this  Appendix.] 

No.  9.  Instructions  to  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple,  to  return  by  the 
most  practicable  route  to  El  Paso  del  Norte,  after  finishing  the  survey 
of  the  river  Gila.  [No.  140  of  this  Appendix.] 

No.  10.  Instructions  to  Mr.  Charles  Wright  in  regard  to  the  survey 
of  a section  of  the  Rio  Grande.  [No.  141  of  this  Appendix.] 

No.  11.  Instructions  to  Mr.  M.  Hippel  in  regard  to  die  survey  of  an- 
other section  of  the  Rio  Grande.  [No.  145  of  this  Appendix.] 

No.  12.  Plan  for  the  conjoint  survey  of  the  Rio  Grande,  entered  into 
by  Mr.  Salazar  and  myself*,  in  pursuance  of  authority  delegated  to  us 
by  the  joint  commission  of  the  two  governments,  at  the  meeting  held 
September  7,  1851.  [No.  155  of  this  Appendix.] 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Major  Top.  Eng .,  Brevet  Lieut . Colonel . 

Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory, 

Topographical  Engineers , Frontera. 


No.  168. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior • 

Frontera,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte, 

December  10,  1851. 

Sir:  I have  received  the  orders  of  the  department  of  the  13th  of 
September  last,  which  were  sent  up  to  me,  from  El  Paso,  by  Major 
Emory,  on  the  25th  ultimo.  On  the  28th  Major  Emory  reported  himself 
here,  in  person,  and  arrangements  were  made  for  my  turning  oyer  to 
him  the  instruments,  instructions,  stationery,  and  camp  equipage  in  my 
charge  belonging  to  the  boundary  service,  all  which  was  completed, 
and  the  necessary  duplicate  invoices  and  receipts  interchanged,  by 
the  7th  inst. 

As  directed  by  the  department,  I shall  proceed  to  Washington  and 
report  myself  to  you  in  person,  as  soon  as  practicable.  As  Major 
Emory  probably  will  require  the  military  escort,  which  accompanied 
him  from  San  Antonio,  to  proceed  on  with  him  until  he  joins  the  United 
States  commissioner,  I shall  endeavor  to  induce  a small  party  of 


220 


S.  Doc.  121. 


gentlemen,  who  are  desirous  to  get  to  San  Antonio,  to  join  me,  with  Mr. 
Lawson  and  my  servant,  in  going  through  to  that  place  in  a few  days. 
I have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM,  Lieut.  Colonel , fyc. , tyc. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior , fyc.,  fyc.,  Washington . 


No.  169. 

Frontera,  near  El  Paso, 

December  11,  1851. 

Colonel  : I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter, 
dated  December  7,  and  the  papers  enclosed  with  it,  numbered  from 
one  to  twelve.  (See  No.  167.) 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  H.  EMORY, 

Capt.  and  Brevet  Major  Corps  T.  E. 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers . 


No.  170. 

Lieutenant  Whipple  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior , forwarding  a copy  of 
his  report  to  Colonel  Graham  of  the  purvey  of  the  Gila . 

San  Diego,  California,  January  16,  1852. 

Sir  : Enclosed  is  the  copy  of  a hasty  report  to  Col.  Graham,  under 
whose  orders  has  been  conducted  an  astronomical  and  topograhical 
survey  of  a portion  of  the  United  States  and  Mexican  boundary  upon 
the  Rio  Gila. 

Newspapers  and  private  letters,  received  at  this  place,  tend  to  con- 
firm the  rumor  that  Col.  Graham  has  been  relieved  from  duty  on  this 
commission. 

Mr.  Bartlett,  the  commissioner,  left  us  upon  the  Rio  San  Pedro,  to 
visit  some  of  the  frontier  towns  of  Sonora,  proposing  to  meet  us  at  the 
Pimo  village.  Nothing  has  since  been  heard  from  him.  A vague 
rumor  is,  however,  afloat,  which  places  him  at  Guaymas. 

The  necessity  of  coming  to  the  Pacific  for  provisions  was  not  an- 
ticipated. I arrived  with  a party  of  eighteen  persons,  and  without  the 
power  to  discharge  them.  For  their  subsistence  1 have  been  obliged 
to  pledge  my  private  credit  for  several  hundreds  of  dollars.  1 deem  it 
necessary  to  communicate  this  condition  of  things  to  the  department. 
Unless  the  Secretary  is  informed  that  the  commissioner  will  soon  arrive 
at  this  place,  I would  respectfully  request  that  funds  may  be  sent  me 
to  pay  off*  the  men  and  take  back  myself  and  four  assistants  to  Paso 
del  Norte,  or  wherever  our  services  may  be  required. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


221 


I now  propose  to  avail  myself  of  Major  Heintzelman’s  command,  at 
the  Colorado,  to  complete  the  survey  of  the  Gila;  and  then,  at  this 
place,  await  new  orders,  or  the  means  of  returning,  as  directed  by  Col. 
Graham,  to  El  Paso. 

Should  the  rumor  prove  true  that  Major  Emory  supersedes  Col.  Gra- 
ham as  principal  astronomer,  See.,  upon  this  commission,  I hope  the  de- 
partment will  do  me  the  favor  to  order  me  and  my  four  assistants  to 
Washington,  to  complete  the  computations  of  the  astronomical,  mag- 
netic, and  meteorological  observations  that  have  been  made  by  myself, 
and  to  construct  maps  of  the  various  surveys  and  reconnaissances  per- 
formed under  my  direction,  which  extend,  connectedly,  from  India  nola, 
(Texas,)  by  way  of  Paso  del  Norte,  to  San  Diego,  upon  the  Pacific 
ocean. 

To  be  allowed  the  privilege  of  bringing  up  this  work,  to  show 
whether  my  labors  have  or  have  not  been  creditable  to  the  commission, 
will  be  esteemed  an  act  of  justice  for  which  I shall  be  grateful. 

It  would  be  highly  gratifying  to  me  to  be  ordered  home  by  way  of 
China,  in  order  to  complete  our  already  extensive  series  of  magnetic 
observations.  The  extra  expense,  however,  will,  I fear,  prevent  the 
department  from  extending  this  indulgence. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  W.  WHIPPLE, 

Lieut.  U.  S.  T.  E.,  attached  to  U.  S.  and  Mexican  B.  C. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior,  fyc.,  i fa.,  Washington , D.  C. 


No.  171. 

Lieut . Whipple's  report  to  Col.  Graham,  on  the  survey  of  the  Gila . 

San  Diego,  California,  January  10,  1852. 

Colonel:  I have  the  honor  to  report  my  arrival  at  San  Diego,  with 
the  party  of  the  boundary  commission  under  my  command. 

Nearly  the  whole  time  since  you  left  us  upon  the  San  Pedro,  until 
our  arrival  here,  we  have  been  upon  a short  allowance  of  provisions. 
With  fourteen  and  a half  days’  rations  of  flour  and  without  an  escort, 
we  left  St.  Peter’s  Springs,  upon  the  Rio  San  Pedro,  on  the  3d  of  Octo- 
ber, 1851.  We  arrived  at  the  desired  point  on  the  Gila,  northeast  of 
Mount  Graham,  on  the  evening  of  the  9th.  The  transit  instrument  was 
mounted  the  same  night,  and  both  limbs  of  the  moon  were  observed  for 
longitude.  The  topographical  survey  of  the  Gila  was  commenced  at 
this  point.  My  excellent  assistants  in  this  portion  of  the  work,  Henry  C. 
F orce  and  F rank  Wheaton,  are  worthy  of  great  praise  for  their  industry 
and  skill  in  the  performance  of  their  duties.  I should  be  pleased  to 
have  their  names  brought  before  the  department  at  Washington,  and 
their  merits  appreciated. 

The  survey  was  carried  on  without  difficulty  below  the  junction  of 
Rio  San  Francisco,  as  far  as  the  entrance  to  the  canon  of  the  Pinal  Llano 
mountain.  Into  this  we  forced  our  way,  although  the  Indians  told  us 


222 


S.  Doc.  121. 


that  neither  man  nor  beast  could  pass  through.  In  some  places  by 
wading,  in  others  by  climbing  upon  the  sides  of  the  canon,  which  rose 
perpendicularly  from  five  to  fifteen  hundred  feet  in  height,  the  survey 
progressed  for  eight  or  ten  miles.  The  want  of  men,  and  of  provisions, 
prevented  us  from  sending  out  reconnoitring  parties  in  advance.  The 
train  passed  over  mountains,  rough  and  steep,  upon  the  north  side  of 
the  river.  Having  succeeded  in  reaching  a gorge  by  which  a mountain 
stream  leaps  into  the  river,  we  were  here  compelled  to  abandon  our 
wagon  and  lead  the  pack  mules  over  steep  mountains.  The  following 
extract  from  the  meteorological  observations  will  give  an  idea  of  our 


route : 

Hours.  Inches. 

Bank  of  the  Rio  Gila,  October  26,  8J  a.  m Bar.  27.779 

Canon  Spring,  “ 27,  sunrise “ 27 .470 

Iron  Hill,  “ 28,  6 a.  m “ 26.517 

Summit  Pass,  “ 28,  8J  a.  m “ 26.073 

Cascade  Grotto,  “ 28,  9 \ a.  m “ 27.194 

Cascade  Grotto,  “ 29,  7 J a.  m “ 27.229 

Pinal  Pass,  “ 29,  1 £ p.  m “ 25.790 

Rio  Gila,  November  1 4J  p.  m “ 27.903 


The  Cascade  Grotto  is  too  wildly  beautiful  to  pass  unnoticed.  De- 
scending over  twelve  hundred  feet  in  an  hour,  we  plunged  into  an  In- 
dian garden,  where  were  melons,  maize  and  beans,  a.nd,  to  our  surprise, 
a field  of  cotton.  This  fertile  spot  is  an  inclined  plane,  evidently  formed 
by  deposite  from  a mineral  spring  which  gushes  from  the  mountain,  irri- 
gates the  fields,  and  then  follows  a ravine  leaping  from  cliff  to  cliff  in 
beautiful  cascades,  until  it  joins  the  Gila,  which  appears  in  view  a 
thousand  feet  below  the  garden.  Passing  beneath  the  first  waterfall, 
one  enters  a charming  stalactite  cave,  consisting  of  two  apartments 
richly  decorated.  At  the  foot  of  the  precipice  are  flowering  shrubs  and 
matted  vines,  whose  red  flowers  gaily  contrast  with  the  verdure  which 
surrounds  them. 

This  singular  formation  is  filled  with  petrifactions.  In  one  place  was 
seen  the  trunk  of  a large  cotton-wood  tree,  cropping  out  of  a bed  of 
coarse  limestone,  and  completely  petrified.  A chip  showed  distinctly 
bark  and  fibre. 

From  this  point  the  Gila  was  inaccessible ; and  having  lured  an  Indian 
from  the  hills,  we  followed  his  guidance  and  reluctantly  turned  our 
backs  to  the  river.  Surrounded  by  a great  body  of  Pinal  Llanos,  we 
passed  through  their  strongholds,  and  on  the  1st  of  November  again 
struck  the  river,  probably  not  more  than  ten  miles  below  the  point  at 
which  we  left  it. 

Having  surveyed  up  as  far  as  possible  from  this  place,  we  then  fol- 
lowed the  course  of  the  Gila  to  the  mouth  of  Rio  San  Pedro.  Here, 
while  observing  moon  culminations  for  longitude,  we  sent  a party 
eighty  miles  to  the  Pimo  village,  where  flour  was  purchased.  Decem- 
ber 9 tk,  we  met  this  party  on  its  return.  When  we  arrived  at  the  Pimo 
village,  Colonel  Craig,  with  an  escort  of  twenty-three  men,  and  Captain 
Barry,  with  about  twenty-eight  days’  rations,  were  awaiting  us.  The 
banks  of  the  river  from  the  Pimo  settlement  to  the  junction  of  the  Rio 


S.  Doc.  121. 


223 


Salinas,  are  fertile,  producing  crops  of  cotton  of  the  first  quality.  The 
Marricopas  have  been  driven  by  the  Yumas  from  their  settlements  near 
the  Salinas,  into  closer  proximity  to  the  Pimos.  Within  the  last  year 
many  have  been  killed,  including  Ju^n  Antonio  Llunas,  a Marricopa 
by  birth,  but  commander-in-chief  of  the  confederate  tribes.  If  pro- 
tected from  incursions  of  Apaches  and  Cuchans,  (Yumas)  the  Marrico- 
pas would  gladly  return  to  their  fertile  fields  upon  the  American  bank 
of  the  Gila,  and,  in  case  of  an  Indian  war,  they  would  prove  a valua- 
ble auxiliary  to  our  troops. 

The  Safinas  at  the  junction  is  a beautiful  stream,  clear  as  crystal, 
large  as  the  Gila,  and,  to  our  surprise,  not  salt . 

Having  progressed  with  the  topographical  survey  to  within  about 
eighty  miles  of  the  junction  of  the  Gila  with  the  Colorado,  our  supplies 
of  provisions  failing,  we  were  obliged  on  the  14th  of  December  to  post- 
pone its  conclusion  until  provisions  could  be  procured  at  the  army  depot, 
at  Camp  Yuma.  In  lour  days  we  reached  the  junction.  Here,  meeting 
Captain  Jimenes  and  party,  of  the  Mexican  commission,  who  had  arrived 
the  day  previous,  to  our  consternation  we  learned  that  the  military  post 
had  been  abandoned.  There  was  no  alternative  but  to  follow  the  sol- 
diers. Crossing  the  Colorado,  we  arrived  the  1st  of  January,  1852,  at 
Santa  Isabel,  where  Captain  Davidson  kindly  saved  us  from  suffering 
by  hunger.  On  the  8th  of  January  we  encamped  in  San  Diego. 

The  agricultural  resources  of  the  Gila  are  of  little  value  to  the  United 
States,  more  than  nine-tenths  of  the  soil  susceptible  of  cultivation  being 
upon  the  Mexican  bank.  Settlements  could,  however,  be  supported  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Rio  San  F rancisco,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Rio  San  Pe- 
dro, upon  the  Salinas,  and  at  the  junction  of  the  Gila  with  the  Colorado. 

F rom  what  precedes,  it  may  be  inferred  that  it  would  hardly  be  prac- 
ticable to  construct  a “road,  canal,  or  railway,”  to  run  wholly  upon  the 
river  Gila.  The  cation  of  the  Pinal  Llano  mountains  is  a complete 
barrier.  The  pass  below  the  junction  of  the  San  Pedro  is  equally  im- 
practicable. Between  the  Pimo  settlement  and  the  junction  of  the  Gila 
with  the  Colorado,  nature  interposes  no  serious  obstacle  to  the  construc- 
tion of  a way  of  communication,  such  as  the  travelling  public  may  de- 
mand, but  from  the  Pimo  village  to  the  Rio  del  Norte,  I know  of  no 
practicable  route,  even  for  a wagon  road,  except  by  entering  the  State 
of  Sonora  to  avoid  the  Pinal  Llano  mountains.  Possibly  a route  may 
be  found  following  the  course  of  the  Safinas  towards  Santa  Fe.  Other- 
wise a jornada  must  be  traversed  to  Tucson,  in  Mexico;  thence,  crossing 
the  Rio  San  Pedro,  a road  may  pass  from  spring  to  spring,  leaving  the 
Guadalupe  pass  to  the  south,  and  may  proceed  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico  to  Dona  Ana. 

Four  permanent  military  posts  should  at  the  same  time  be  established 
near  this  route,  one  at  Colonel  Craig’s  Cantonment  Dawson,  [since  call- 
ed Fort  Webster,]  among  the  copper  mines  of  New  Mexico,  where  a 
well  watered  and  fertile  valley,  rich  in  precious  metals,  would  soon  sup- 
port a flourishing  settlement ; one  at  the  mouth  of  Rio  San  Pedro,  where 
the  Pinal  Llanos  Indians  would  be  intercepted  in  their  marauding  ex- 
peditions to  Sonora ; and  the  third  upon  the  excellent  cotton  lands  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Safinas.  The  fourth,  upon  the  Colorado,  has  already  been 
established  by  order  of  the  War  Department. 


224 


S.  Doc.  121. 


By  treaty  stipulations  with  Mexico,  “it  is  solemnly  agreed  that  all  in- 
cursions into  her  territory,  of  our  savage  tribes,  shall  be  forcibly  restrain- 
ed by  the  government  of  the  United  States.”  But  at  present,  Indian 
depredations  in  Sonora  are  notorious.  Scores  of  our  own  citizens,  also, 
have  been  slaughtered  by  these  roving  robbers,  and  we  have  seen  their 
bones  bleaching  by  the  road  side.  The  government  is,  therefore,  bound 
to  station  a strong  military  force  upon  this  frontier.  Protection  to  set- 
tlers will  enable  the  resources  of  the  country  to  be  developed ; emigrants, 
assured  of  safety  and  of  supplies  at  these  depots,  will  avoid  the  perils 
and  expense  of  a sea  voyage,  and  the  country  will  learn  soon  whether 
the  wants  of  the  people  require,  so  as  to  render  “ advantageous,”  the 
construction  of  a “ canal  or  railway,”  which  may  in  part  run  upon  the 
river  Gila. 

The  construction  of  a wagon  road  by  the  route  proposed,  through 
Sonora,  for  the  use  of  both  countries,  would  be  of  no  less  advantage  to 
Mexico  than  to  the  United  States.  An  agreement  to  this  effect  is,  in 
fact,  necessary  to  the  fulfilment  of  the  treaty  stipulations  with  reference 
to  the  protection  of  the  frontier.  This  done,  and  some  slight  encourage- 
ment given  to  trade,  and  the  now  half  depopulated  province  of  Sonora 
will  soon  become  one  of  the  most  flourishing  States  of  Mexico. 

: From  the  day  of  first  striking  the  river  Gila  to  the  time  of  reaching  its 
mouth — seventy  days — astronomical  observations  were  made  every 
night,  except  two,  which  were  cloudy.  The  whole  number  of  astro- 
nomical and  meteorological  stations  upon  the  Gila  was  forty-six ; nearly 
all  of  these  were  also  magnetic  stations.  Between  the  mouth  of  the  Gila 
and  this  place  are  three  intermediate  astronomical  and  magnetic  stations, 
besides  several  made  on  my  trip  from  San  Diego  to  the  Colorado,  in 
September,  1849.  Thus  is  completed  a consecutive  chain  of  magnetic 
stations,  extending  from  the  observatory  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts, 
by  way  of  Galveston,  San  Antonio,  and  Paso  del  Norte^ta  the  Pacific 
ocean.  At  most  of  these  stations  the  three  elements,  incff^atio/i,  declina- 
tion, and  intensity , have  been  observed.  In  the  astronomical  and  mag- 

netic departments,  John  O’Donoghue  and  Hugh  Campbell  have  been 
my  invaluable  assistants. 

The  magnetic  instrument  used  was  made  by  Mr.  George,  of  Falmouth, 
under  the  direction  of  the  celebrated  Mr.  F ox,  the  inventor.  It  is  the 
same  that  was  turned  over  for  this  service  by  yourself,  at  the  close  of 
the  northeastern  boundary  survey.  With  it  I observed  at  Chagres,  Gor- 
gona,  and  Panama,  in  1849. 

It  is  believed  that  a map,  exhibiting  the  results  obtained,  will  prove 
of  much  interest,  and,  when  published,  will  add  credit  to  the  depart- 
ment under  which  the  operation  has  been  conducted.  What  a misfor- 
tune that  we  have  not  the  power  to  embrace  the  present  opportunity,  by 
returning  to  the  United  States  by  way  of  China  and  the  Mediterranean, 
to  surround  the  globe  with  a series  of  magnetic  observations.  Not  only 
would  the  value  of  the  results  upon  the  boundary  be  greatly  enhanced 
by  such  direct  comparison  at  European  observatories,  but,  passing  through 
or  near  the  maxima  of  horizontal  intensity,  the  lines  of  no-variation  would 
be  crossed,  and  an  exceedingly  interesting  belt  of  observations  might  be 
completed  around  that  part  of  the  world,  at  present  (with  reference  to 
magnetism)  so  little  known. 


S.  Doc.  121. 


225 


Notwithstanding  the  recent  hostility  of  the  whole  tribe  of  Apaches, 
Colloteros,  Pinal  Llanos,  and  Tontos,  through  which  we  passed  without 
an  escort,  nothing  but  kindness  was  received  from  them.  The  Yumas 
and  Cocopas,  though  glorying  in  the  belief  that  they  had  driven  away 
the  small  detachment  of  United  States  troops  stationed  among  them, 
still  treated  us  with  respect  and  favor.  The  vigilance  of  Colonel  Craig 
gave  them  no  opportunity  of  showing  hostility. 

One  sad  accident  I have  to  record : it  is  the  death  of  Thomas  Harper, 
an  excellent  young  man  from  Kentucky,  and  a member  of  my  party. 
While  bathing  in  the  Colorado,  he  was  seized  with  a cranjp,  sank,  and, 
although  a dozen  leaped  into  the  water  to  afford  assistance,  the  rapid  cur- 
rent swept  him  far  beyond  their  reach,  and  search  for  him  was  fruitless. 

Major  Heintzelman  is  now  preparing  to  re-establish  the  military  post 
at  the  Colorado.  As  soon  as  this  is  done,  1 hope  to  be  able  to  obtain 
supplies  of  provisions,  and  in  ten  days  after  the  recommencement  of  the 
work  the  survey  of  the  Gila  will  be  completed.  In  the  mean  time,  until 
the  arrival  of  Mr.  Bartlett,  who  is  supposed  to  be  at  Guaymas,  or  while 
awaiting  other  means  of  procuring  supplies  for  our  return,  nwself  and 
assistants  are  actively  employed  in  computing  our  observations  and  plot- 
ting the  notes  of  the  survey. 

I remain,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  W.  WHIPPLE, 
Lieutenant  U.  S.  Topographical  Engineers. 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

U.  S.  Top.  Eng.,  Head  of  the  Scientific  Corps 

for  the  survey  of  the  U.  S.  and  Mexican  Boundary . 


No.  172. 

Colonel  Graham  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

Washngton,  March  25,  1S52. 

Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  enclose  to  you,  herewith,  Brevet  Major  W. 
II.  I imory’s  receipt  to  me  for  instruments,  stationery,  and  camp  equipage, 
turned  over  to  him  at  Frontera,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte,  on  the  6th 
of  December  last,  in  conformity  with  orders  from  your  department.* 
This  document  has  just  arrived  from  Indianola,  with  other  articles  which 
1 was  obliged  to  leave  there  to  be  forwarded. 

I have  respectfully  to  request  that  I may  be  allowed  to  have  a.  duplicate 
of  the  copy  of  Lieutenant  Whipple’s  report  to  me  (which  he  forwarded 
to  the  department,  from  San  Diego,  in  January  last,)  of  the  survey  of 
the  river  Gila,  as  it  will  probably  be  a long  while  before  1 can  receive 
the  original,  which  he  forwarded  from  San  Diego,  addressed  tome  at  El 
Paso  del  Norte,  t 

I am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  GRAHAM,  But.  Lieut.  Col.,  Sfc.,  &‘c. 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior , fyc.,  fyc.,  &fc. 

* An  abstract  of  this  receipt  will  be  found  in  No.  176  of  this  Appendix. 

| It  is  No.  171  of  this  Appendix. 

15 


J.  D.  G. 


No.  173. — Synopsis  of  the  return  fs?  instruments  belonging  to  the  Mexican  boundary  commission , made  by  Major  William  H, 
Emory , as  appears  by  his  “ returtQ 1 dated  March  30,  1850,  and  the  receipts , respectively , of  Lieutentant  Whipple , Brevet  Cap- 
tain JHardcastle , Mr . A.  B.  Gray,  and  Dr.  C.  C.  Parry ; also  oj  the  instruments  with  which  he  is  chargeable  on  the  books  of  this 
department . \_Made  out  at  the  Department  of  the  Interior  in  January , 1851.] 


226 


H.  Doc.  121. 


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230 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  175. 


Abstract  of  Lieut.  Whipple's  invoice  of  instruments , turned  over  by  him  to 
Lieutenant  Col.  J.  D.  Graham , at  El  Paso  del  Norte  and  the  Copper 
Mines  of  Santa  Rita , between  July  8 and  August  4,  1851,  being  all  that 
were  on  the  boundary  line  before  the  arrival  of  Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham. 


Instruments. 


Remarks. 


Two  astronomical  transits. 

One  large  astronomical  azi- 
muth instrument,  with 
transit  telescope,  for  as- 
tronomical purposes,  (by 
Ertel  & Son.) 

One  equatorial  telescope, 
with  a double  wire  mi- 
crometer, a divided  lens 
micrometer,  and  a stand. 

One  astronomical  portable 
telescope,  to  open  and 
shut,  with  slide  joints,  four 
feet  long,  (by  Frauen- 
hofer.) 

One  repeating  circle  of  re- 
flection. 

Five  chronometers. 

One  pocket  watch  chro- 
nometer. 


Three  sextants, 
is  indifferent. 
Three  artificial 
Five  observing 


one  of  them 

horizons. 

. anterns 


Four  bottles  of  purified 
quicksilver. 

Four  tin  cans,  (five  gallons 
each,)  with  sperm  oil. 

One  barrel  of  lamp  oil, 
(partly  full.) 

F our  lamp  fillers. 

Fifteen  balls  of  lamp-wick. 

One  flask  spirits  turpentine. 

One  box  of  plaster  of  Paris, 
(half-bushel.) 

Thirty-one  signal  rockets. 

One  surveyor’s  compass, 
with  telescope  and  tripod. 


This  is  the  one  named  in  the  invoice 
of  Lieut.  Whipple  as  a transit,  as  it  may 
also  be  used  as  such;  making,  with  the 
two  first-mentioned,  a total  of  three  as- 
tronomical transits. 


One  is  good ; the  others  are  bad  and 
out  of  repair. 


Bought  of  Mr.  Von  Hippel,  at  El  Paso, 
in  May,  1851.  Cross-hairs  very  coarse. 
Fit  for  use. 


S.  Doc.  121. 

STATEMENT — Continued. 


231 


Instruments. 


Remarks. 


One  surveyor’s  compass, 
with  telescope,  (by  Gam- 
bey.) 

j One  surveyor’s  compass, 
with  six-inch  needle,  (by 
| Patten.) 

Three  prismatic  compasses. 

Four  heliostadts,  (two  are 
small  and  without  tele- 
scopes.) 

Two  levels  and  tripods 


Two  pair  of  levelling  rods. . 

One  reconnoitring  glass. 

One  coming-up  spy-glass. 

One  reconnoitring  and  pro- 
tracting instrument,  after 
the  plan  of  Sir  Howard 
Douglass. 

One  camera  lucida 

Two  surveying  chains. 

Nineteen  iron  marking  pins. 

Six  tape-lines 

One  dip  and  intensity  instru- 
ment, (Fox’s  plan.) 

One  dip-circle 


One  magnetic  declinometer, 
(by  Thos.  Jones,  London.) 

One  Hansteen  magnetic  hor- 
izontal force  vibrating  ap- 
paratus. 

Six  cistern  barometers 


Cross-hairs  very  coarse;  the  glass 
plate,  covering  the  needle,  cracked.  [Not 
reliable.] 

Very  bad;  old  pattern  and  much 
worn ; it  is  without  a tripod  and  cannot 
be  used. 

Glass  plate  of  one  of  them  cracked. 


One  somewhat  worn  from  an  improper 
use  of  the  levelling  screws.  The  spirit 
level  was  taken  off’,  by  Lieut.  Whipple, 
for  use  on  another  instrument. 

One  pair  unfit  for  use. 


F or  copying  and  reducing  drawings. 


Three  much  worn  in  service. 


Requires  repairs  before  it  can  be  used. 
The  needles  were  ruined  in  an  attempt 
to  adjust  them  by  filing.  The  axis  of 
one  is  much  bent  and  very  rusty.  This 
was  the  condition  of  the  instrument 
when  purchased  at  second-hand  by  Lt. 
Strain,  United  States  navy,  at  Philadel- 
phia, in  July,  1850. 


Two  are  in  good  order ; the  glass  tubes 
of  two  others  are  broken;  one  other  has 
no  mercury  in  its  tube ; the  cistern  of  an- 
other leaks;  the  attached  thermometer 
of  one  of  those  reported  good,  is  broken. 


232 


S.  Doc.  121. 

STATEMENT — Continued. 


Instruments. 

Remarks. 

Three  syphon  barometers. 

Three  Hassler’s  barometers. 

One  aneroid  barometer. 

Two  boiling-point  thermo- 
meters. 

One  standard  thermometer. 

Two  thermometers. 

Three  hygrometers,  (wet 
and  dry  bulb.) 

Two  rain-gauges.  # 

Four  quart-bottles  of  ether 
[for  supplying  spirit-lev- 
els when  required.] 

The  above  is  a correct  abstract. 

J.  D.  GRAHAM,  Lieutenant  Colonel . 

N.  B. — One  of  the  astronomical  transits  mentioned  in  the  first  item 
of  this  invoice  is  the  instrument  which  Commissioner  Bartlett,  in  his 
despatch  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  of  December  30,  1850, 
from  El  Paso  del  Norte,  reports  as  “the  most  valuable  telescope  be- 
longing to  the  commission.”  He  there  says  it  was  in  one  of  “ two 
boxes  of  astronomical  instruments  which  were  lost  between  New  York 
and  Indianola,  together  with  five  boxes  of  other  valuable  articles.”  He 
then  goes  on  to  say  he  had  understood  these  boxes  were  in  New  Orleans, 
and  that  he  had  directed  Mr.  Sanford  to  look  them  up  and  forward 
them  to  Indianola,  with  the  provisions  he  was  ordered  to  purchase,  to 
the  effect  that  they  might  all  go  together  to  El  Paso.  That  Mr.  San- 
ford was  then  to  go  to  New  York  to  procure  some  surveying  instru- 
ments, with  which  the  commission  was  entirely  unprovided,  or  words 
to  that  effect.  That  Mr.  Sanford  was  then  to  return  to  Indianola  and 
San  Antonio  in  time  to  take  the  first  train  that  should  go  up  to  El 
Paso. 

I have  to  remark  that  Commissioner  Bartlett  was  entirely  mistaken 
in  the  idea  that  two  boxes  of  astronomical  instruments  were  lost  from 
the  equipment  he  started  with  for  the  boundary  line.  He  was  equally 
mistaken  in  supposing  that  any  telescope  whatever,  belonging  to  his 
equipment,  was  lost  or  left  on  the  way.  The  instrument  he  alludes  to, 
as  such,  was  the  telescope  and  axis,  together  with  the  levels,  the  eye- 
lenses,  micrometer,  &c.,  constituting  the  portion  of  the  large  astronomi- 
cal transit,  which  I so  assiduously  searched  for  at  New  Orleans,  Gal- 
veston, Indianola,  San  Antonio,  and  Fort  Inge,  on  the  Leona  river — 
when  on  my  way  to  join  the  commission  in  the  field — under  the  sup- 


S.  Doc.  121. 


233 


position  that  it  had  really  been  lost,  or  left  on  the  way  by  Commissioner 
Bartlett’s  party,  in  the  autumn  of  the  year  1850.  This  will  appear  by 
reference  to  No.  59  of  this  Appendix. 

On  my  arrival  at  Frontera  (near  El  Paso)  in  June,  1851,  much  to  my 
surprise,  I found  this  instrument  there,  in  the  store-room  with  other  ar- 
ticles belonging  to  the  commission.  It  had  actually  been  carried  up  by 
Commissioner  Bartlett’s  party,  which  arrived  at  El  Pa\o  in  December, 
1850.  He  was,  however,  totally  unacquainted  with  this  fact  until  in- 
formed of  it  by  me,  when  I joined  him  at  the  Copper  Mines  of  Santa 
Pita,  the  beginning  of  August,  1851. 

The  portable  stand  to  this  instrument  is,  in  fact,  the  only  apparatus, 
belonging  either  to  the  astronomical  or  surveying  department,  that  Mr. 
Commissioner  Bartlett  started  with,  which  was  lost  or  left  behind  by 
him  or  his  surveying  corps.  It  was  in  box  No.  583,  and  will  be  found 
included  in  the  report  of  the  board  of  survey,  (see  document  B attached 
to  No.  59  of  this  Appendix)  which  examined  Mr.  Sanford’s  collection, 
at  New  Orleans,  which  he  supposed  to  contain  a supply  of  surveying 
instruments,  and  had  so  represented  them  to  the  Department  of  the 
Interior,  when  he  arrived  at  Washington  in  February,  1851,  from  El 
Paso. 


J.  D.  GRAHAM. 


234 


S.  Doc.  121. 


No.  176. 

Instruments  belonging  to  the  United  States  boundary  commission  turned  over 
by  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham , United  States  topographical 
engineers , principal  astronomer , head  of  the  scientific  corps , Sfc.,  Sfc., 
to  Brevet  Major  TV.  H.  Emory , at  Frontera,  near  El  Paso  del  Norte , 
December  6,  1851.  Also,  instruments  issued  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  D. 
Graham  to  Lieutenant  A.  TV.  Whipple , August  27,  1851,  and  to  Lieu- 
tenant N.  Michler , February  2,  1852. 


Total  number  of  instru- 
ments turned  over  by 
Colonel  Graham. 

Instruments. 

Turned  over  to  Major 
Emory. 

5 

Astronomical  transits 

4 

1 

Y’s  and  apparatus  for  lifting  and  reversing  the 
axis  and  telescope  of  Berlin  transit  (by 
Pistor  & Martin) _. 

1 

1 

1 

Marble  block  for  the  support  of  same  transit. . . 
Astronomical  altitude  and  azimuth  instrument 
reading  by  micrometers  to  seconds  (by 
Trough  ton  & Simmsl 

1 

1 

3 

Astronomical  telescopes 

2 

1 

Equatorial  mounting  for  astronomical  tele- 
scope, with  cast-iron  bed-plate  to  support 
the  same 

1 

2 

2 

Portable  altitude  and  azimuth  instruments  or 
Kater  circles,  adapted  for  astronomical  and 
surveying  purposes  (by  Troughton  & Simms) 
Repeating  circles  of  reflection 

2 

2 

3 

Sextants 

2 

2 

Artificial  horizons 

1 

7 

Chronometers 

4 

2 

Chronometrically  adjusted  time-keepers  (by 
Hutton) 

1 

6 

Plates  of  German  ground-glass,  for  repairing 
artificial  horizons,  when  necessary 

6 

1 

Portable  repeating  circle  or  universal  instru- 
ment (bv  Dunnl 

1 

1 

Divided  lens  micrometer,  for  astronomical  tel- 
escope   

1 

1 

Pair  of  extra  Y plates,  with  micrometer  ad- 
justment   ___________ 

1 

2 

Observing  tents 

2 

10 

O 

Observing  lanterns 

13 

1 


1 

1 

3 

1 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  176 — Continued. 


235 


g X £ 
.5  > £ 
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0 T3  ~ 
^ 2 2 

jsei 

1 2-3 

3 w c 
c So 
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5 SO 


1 

7 

4 

17 

9 

12 

3 

26 

2 

1 

16 

4 
31 
15 

3 

3 

1 

1 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 


6 

11 

5 

17 

157 


Instruments. 


Chronometer-basket  and  cushions 

Bottles  of  quicksilver 

Quart  bottles  of  ether  (one  nearly  empty) , 

Gallons  of  lamp-oil,  in  cans 

Extra  tin  oil  cups 

Quart  cans  of  plaster  of  Paris 

Lamp-fillers 

Balls  of  lamp-wick 


Reading  lenses. 

Box  of  sperm  candles 

Blank  books 

Nautical  almanacs 

Rockets  and  sticks 

Pairs  of  leather  panniers  with  connecting  straps . 

Leather  cases  for  chronometers 

Mahogany  cases  for  do.  

Piece  of  gum-elastic  packing  cloth 

Bow  ditch’s  Navigator 

Bowditch’s  Useful  Tables 

Hack  ley’s  Trigonometry 

Bourn’s  Practical  Engineering  and  Surveying. . 
British  Association  Catalogue  of  8,377  fixed 

stars,  reduced  to  January  1,  1850 

Francoeur’s  Geodesie 

Francoeur’s  Uranographie 

Francoeur’s  Astronomie 

Burrit’s  Geography  of  the  Heavens 

Burrit’s  Celestial  Atlas 

Pearson’s  Practical  Astronomy,  2 vols.  4to 

Callet’s  Tables 

Parallactic  telescopes,  for  measuring  distances 
without  the  use  of  the  chain,  and  for  observ- 
ing occultations  of  stars,  eclipes,  &c.,  &c 

Azimuth  instrument  (by  Draper,  of  Philadel- 
phia) with  its  tripod  stand 

Transit  theodolites  and  tripod  stands 

Surveyor’s  compasses 

Prismatic  compasses 

Surveyor’s  chains 

Iron  marking  Dins 


> I 

cw 

-O 

<U 

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l_ 

3 

H 


1 

6 

4 

13 

9 

12 

3 

26 

2 


16 

4 

31 

13 

3 

3 

1 

1 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 


6 

10 

3 

11 

107 


1 

2 

2 

20 


4 

30 


Turned  over  to  Lieuten- 
ant Whipple. 


236 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  176 — Continued. 


£ £ £ 
Z ° £ 

I-  « £ 

0>  C rk 

.o  £ ° 

£2^3 
3 IS  c 

c £ o 

*3  % ° 

3 so 
H 


Instruments. 


3 

2 

1 

3 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

1 

1 

2 

3 

3 

1 

6 

8 

12 

4 
8 
3 
1 
2 
2 

5 
5 
2 
2 
5 
2 
1 
2 

14 

1 

1 


Five-feet  standard  measures,  for  adjusting 

chains 

Heliotropes 

Camera-lucida,  for  reducing  drawings 

Engineer’s  levels  and  tripod  stands 

Spirit-level,  in  brass  bed 

Spare  bubble  for  do 

Vial  of  shellac  gum 

Nest  of  spider-lines 

Small  files 

Turn-screw  and  wire  for  stretching  spider- 
lines   

Extra  spirit-level  for  theodolite 

Pairs  of  bar-magnets 

Horse-shoe  magnets 

Levelling  rods,  with  targets  and  plummets 

Reconnoitring  and  protracting  instrument  (Sir 

H.  Douglass’s  plan) 

Tape-lines,  for  offsets 

Pocket  compasses 

Blank  books 

Blank  letter  books 

Collimating  screens,  for  portable  heliotropes. 

Leather  haversacks 

Piece  of  cod-line  (100  feet) 

Reconnoitring  spy-glasses. 

Hassle r barometers  with  cisterns  and  apparatus 

for  same 

Green’s  Hassler  barometers,  with  do.  do 

Syphon  barometers 

Cistern  barometers 

Aneroid  barometers 

Thermo-barometers 

Hygrometers  (wet  and  dry  bulb) 

Mason’s  thermometer  (wet  and  dry  bulb) 

Rain-gauges 

Blank  books 

Magnetic  dip  and  intensity  instrument  (Fox’s 

plan) 

Magnetic  declinometer 


3 

2 

1 

3 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

1 

1 

2 

3 

3 

1 

4 
8 

12 

4 
8 
3 

1 

1 

2 

5 

3 
2 
1 

4 
1 
1 
1 

14 


1 


1 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 


Turned  over  to  Lieuten- 
ant Whipple. 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  176 — Continued. 


237 


Total  number  of  instru- 
ments turned  over  by 
Colonel  Graham. 

Instruments. 

Turned  over  to  Major 
Emory. 

Turned  over  to  Lieuten- 
ant Whipple. 

1 

Magnetic  horizontal  force-vibrating  apparatus . . 

1 

1 

Box  of  chemical  tests,  for  mineralogical  and 

geological  department 

1 

2 

Boxes  of  mathematical  drawing  instruments.. 

2 

1 

Brass  circular  protractor 

1 

1 

Paper  of  brass  tacks 

1 

8 

India  ink  and  sapia  drawings 

8 

2 

Sketches  in  pencil 

2 

4 

Note-books  of  the  survey  of  El  Paso 

4 

1 

Map  of  El  Paso 

1 

1 

Sketch-book  with  sketches 

1 

5 

Pieces  of  pear-wood,  for  making  curved  rulers. 

5 

2 

Wooden  triangles 

2 

A true  abstract : 


J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  Topographical  Engineers . 


238 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  177. 


Tabic  showing  the  barometric  'profile  of  the  route  from  San  Antonio , via  Cas- 
troville , Fort  Inge , Howard's  Spring,  Ojo  Escondido , Eagle  Spring , 
El  Paso  del  Norte , and  Dona  Ana , to  the  Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita , 
m New  Mexico , m 1851.  From  observations  made  by , and  under  the 
direction  of  Brevet  Eieutenxmt  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham , United  States 
Topographical  Engineers , (J'c.,  <Jt\ 


No.  of 
station. 

Place  of  barometric  observation. 

Distance  from  In- 
dianola(in  miles 
and  decimals  of 
a mile.) 

Height  above 
the  sea  (in 
feet.) 

1 

Sa  n Antonio 

140.0 

600 

2 

Castroville 

165.4 

767 

3 

F ort  Inge,  (head  of  Leona  river) . . 

228.6 

845 

4 

Leona  Mountain,  (near  head  of 
Leona  river) 

228.0 

950 

5 

Zoquete 

277.8 

1,148 

6 

Rio  San  Pedro,  (first  crossing) 

309.9 

958 

7 

Hill  overlooking  Independence 
Spring 

328.9 

1,287 

8 

Pass  near  second  crossing  of  San 
Pedro 

347.0 

1,611 

9 

In  valley  of  San  Pedro  above  sec- 
ond crossing  of  San  Pedro 

360.0 

1,65.8 

10 

Last  crossing  of  San  Pedro 

370.0 

1,827 

11 

Table  lands  of  Texas 

385.0 

2,091 

12 

Ten  miles  further  on 

395.0 

2,240 

13 

Howard’s  Spring 

411.3 

2,075 

14 

In  a ravine  beyond  Howard’s 
Spring 

418.0 

2,410 

15 

High  table  lands  beyond  How- 
ard’s Spring 

433.0 

3,008 

16 

Live  Oak  creek 

443.7 

2,338 

17 

Rio  Pecos 

451.5 

2,330 

18 

Valley  of  Rio  Pecos,  (above). . . . 
Ten  miles  west  of  last  crossing  of 
Rio  Pecos 

470.0 

2,400 

19 

495.0 

2,658 

20 

Rio  Escondido,  (first  crossing).  . . . 
Ten  miles  beyond  head  of  Rio 
Escondido 

506.3 

2,660 

21 

525.0 

3,200 

22 

Camanche  Spring 

534.4 

3,200 

23 

Leon  Spring 

544.0 

4,240 

24 

First  crossing  of  the  Limpia 

579.3 

3,950 

25 

Head  of  the  Limpia 

605.2 

4,606 

26 

Mountain  Pass 

620.0 

4,768 

27 

Height  west  of  Mountain  Pass.  . . . 

620.0 

5,300 

28  , 

Painted  Camp 

634.5 

5,020 

S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  177 — Continued. 


239 


No.  of 
station. 

Place  of  barometric  observation. 

Distance  from  In- 
dianola(in  miles 
arid  decimals  of 
a mile.) 

Height  above 
the  sea  (in 
feet.) 

29 

High  point  of  road  half  a mile  from 
Big  Rock 

655.0 

5,563 

30 

Highest  point  of  road  to  El  Paso. . 

660.0 

5,765 

31 

Providence  creek 

665.0 

5,492 

32 

Spring 

680.0 

4,773 

33 

Eagle  Spring 

698.7 

4,842 

34 

First  campon  the  Rio  Grande. 

731.0 

3,700 

35 

Frontera;  White’s  Rancho 

820.0 

3,870 

36 

Cotton  woods  on  Rio  Grande,  (18 

• 

miles  above  Frontera 

838.0 

3,970 

37 

Dona  Ana ; officers’  quarters 

860.0 

4,104 

38 

Summit  of  hill  east  of  Natural 
Wells 

900.0 

4,746 

39 

Cooke’s  Spring 

925.0 

4,772 

40 

Crossing  of  Rio  Mimbres 

950.0 

4,960 

41 

Summit  of  hill  on  the  road  just 
before  entering  the  canon  of  the 
Copper  Mines 

980.0 

5,660 

42 

In  canon  two  miles  below  military 
post  at  Copper  Mines 

988.0 

6,040 

43 

Copper  Mines,  (Colonel  Craig’s 

quarters) 

990.0 

6,350 

J.  D.  GRAHAM, 

Brevet  Lieut . Col.  Topographical  Engineers . 


No.  178. 

Colonel  Abert  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Bureau  of  Topographical  Engineers, 

Washington , March  3,  1852. 

Sir  : I transmit  herewith  copies  of  the  correspondence  in  reference  to 
your  recall  from  the  Mexican  boundary  survey — that  is,  of  as  much  of 
the  correspondence  as  has  come  to  the  knowledge  of  this  office.  It  con- 
sists of  a letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  of  the  11th  September, 
1851 ; with  this  letter  were  sent  a letter  from  General  Conde,  dated  7th 
July,  1S51,  and  a letter  from  Mr.  Bartlett,  dated  11th  July,  1851,  copies 
of  which  are  sent  herewith.  I also  send  a copy  of  the  report  of  this 
office  upon  these  letters,  dated  13th  September,  1851,  with  a copy  of 


240 


S.  Doc.  121. 

an  endorsement  upon  the  same  by  the  honorable  Secretary  of  War. 
Also,  a copy  of  the  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  W ar  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  Interior,  in  reply  to  his  letter  of  the  11th  September,  [1851.] 

As  these  letters  evidently  exhibit  sentiments  of  discontent  with  your 
course,  it  seems  to  me,  in  justice  to  yourself  as  well  as  to  the  corps  of 
which  you  are  a member,  that  explanation  should  be  given.  You  will, 
therefore,  as  soon  as  practicable,  furnish  this  office  with  a full  report  on 
the  matter,  in  order  that  the  same  may  be  placed  on  the  files  of  this 
office. 

Respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  J.  ABERT, 

Colonel  Corps  Topographical  Engineers . 

Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Corps  Topographical  Engineers , Washington . 


No.  179. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to  the  Secretary  oj  War . 

Department  of  the  Interior, 

Washington , September  11,  1851. 

Sir  : This  department  was  advised,  by  letter  from  the  chief  of  the 
corps  of  topographical  engineers,  dated  the  12th  October,  1850,  of  the 
fact  that  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  D.  Graham  had  been  detailed  to  relieve 
Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel  McClellan  from  duty  on  the  Mexican  bound- 
ary survey,  and  requested  to  indicate  the  time  when  Colonel  Graham 
should  be  ordered  to  report  himself. 

On  the  17th  of  October  Colonel  Abert  was  informed  that  it  was  ad- 
visable that  Colonel  Graham  should  at  once  proceed  to  join  the  commis- 
sion, and  was  requested  to  give  him  the  necessary  orders. 

Colonel  Graham  reported  himself  accordingly,  and  by  letter,  dated 
October  23,  was  directed  to  enter  immediately  upon  the  discharge  of 
his  duties,  as  described  in  a letter  of  that  date  to  the  United  States  com- 
missioner, Mr.  J.  R.  Bartlett,  of  which  a copy  was  furnished  him.  He 
was  authorized  to  look  into  the  state  of  the  astronomical  and  surveying 
apparatus,  as  far  as  the  files  and  correspondence  of  the  department 
afforded  information  on  the  subject,  and  to  report  his  views  as  to  what 
further  supplies  might  be  deemed  necessary,  and  was  directed,  so  soon  as 
this  should  be  completed,  to  join  the  commission  in  the  field. 

Colonel  Graham  sailed  from  New  York  about  the  1st  April,  1851, 
about  six  months  after  having  been  detailed  for  this  service,  and  he  ar- 
rived at  Frontera  (White’s  rancho,)  on  the  Rio  Grande,  about  six  miles 
above  El  Paso  del  Norte,  about  the  25th  June  last.  The  letter  to  Mr. 
Commissioner  Bartlett,  of  the  23d  October,  1850,  informing  him  that 
Colonel  Graham  had  been  detailed  to  relieve  Colonel  McClellan,  and 
by  which  Colonel  G.  was  to  be  governed,  and  for  which  purpose  a copy 
was  furnished  him,  suggested  the  propriety  and  importance  of  reducing 
the  number  of  employes  and  of  reorganizing  the  scientific  corps,  in  ac- 


S,  Doc.  121. 


241 


cordance  tvith  such  joint  understanding  between  Colonel  G.  and  him- 
self as  would  tend  to  promote  the  progress  of  the  survey. 

It  was  also  suggested  that,  with  a view  to  the  establishment  of  a sys- 
tem of  responsibility  and  discipline  throughout,  the  scientific  corps, 
when  thus  organized,  should  be  subject  to  the  immediate  direction  of 
Colonel  Graham,  he  being  held  responsible  to  the  commissioner,  to 
whom  he  should  report  from  time  to  time  as  the  commissioner  might 
require. 

The  selection  of  draughtsman  and  the  other  members  of  the  scientific 
corps  was  to  be  approved  as  well  by  the  commissioner  as  by  Colonel 
Graham,  he  being  regarded  as  the  chief  officer,  and  whose  approval  and 
concurrence  were  necessary  and  requisite  in  any  changes  or  reorganiza- 
tion which  might  be  contemplated. 

Colonel  Graham,  immediately  upon  his  arrival  at  Frontera,  without 
having  seen  or  heard  from  Mr.  Bartlett,  the  commissioner,  and  miscon- 
struing his  powers  under  the  instructions  sent  Mr.  Bartlett,  ordered 
Lieutenant  Whipple  to  report  to  him  at  that  place  in  person.  This 
caused  a suspension  in  the  work  and  resulted  in  a serious  complaint  by 
General  Conde,  the  Mexican  commissioner,  as  you  will  perceive  from 
the  enclosed  copy  of  the  correspondence  between  the  two  commissioners 
on  the  subject. 

Before  Colonel  Graham  left  here,  I was  much  annoyed  and  became 
dissatisfied  with  his  long,  unnecessary  delay  in  joining  the  commission 
in  the  field,  and  since  then  accounts  of  other  delays  and  interruptions 
have  reached  me,  officially  and  otherwise,  which  I felt  called  upon  to 
communicate  to  the  President ; and  having  conferred  with  him  on  the 
subject,  and  having  submitted  to  him  Commissioner  Bartlett’s  des- 
patches, I am  of  opinion  that  the  speedy  prosecution  of  the  work  of  the 
joint  commission  demands  that  Colonel  Graham  be  relieved,  and  some 
suitable  officer  of  topographical  engineers  detailed  to  supply  his  place. 

Major  William  H.  Emory  was  for  some  time  connected  with  this 
commission  in  the  capacity  of  chief  astronomer ; and  as  I have  every 
confidence  in  his  zeal  and  ability,  I beg  leave  to  suggest  his  name  to 
you.  He  is  still  acting  under  the  orders  of  this  department,  but  his 
connexion  with  it  is  merely  temporary,  and  may  not  be  considered  suffi- 
cient to  warrant  me  in  transferring  him  to  the  field  of  the  boundary  op- 
erations without  your  concurrence.  I shall  be  pleased  to  have  your  re- 
ply at  your  earliest  convenience. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient*  servant, 

ALEX.  H.  H.  STUART,  Secretary . 

Hon.  C.  M.  Conrad,  Secretary  of  War . 


No.  ISO — (Referred  to  in  No.  179'.) 
General  Conde  to  Mr.  Bartlett. 


Boundary  Commission  on  the  part  of  Mexico, 

Camp  on  the  River  Mimbres , July  7,  1851. 

Sir  : The  continued  difficulties  which  have  been  presenting  them- 
selves in  the  American  commission  for  tracing  and  dividing  the  line 


16 


242 


S.  Doc.  121. 


appeared  to  have  ceased ; but  a new  incident  has  occurred  to  disturb 
again  the  prosecution  of  the  work.  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple,  who,  in 
the  character  of  astronomer  and  surveyor  ad  interim , carried  on  these 
expressed  operations  in  conjunction  with  the  gentlemen  on  the  part  of 
Mexico,  agreeably  to  the  understanding  between  us,  has  left  the  line 
without  my  having  received  so  much  as  a simple  notice  from  you. 

The  increased  expenses  which  I am  incurring  in  this  desert,  and  the 
loss  of  time,  in  a matter  which  is  described  in  so  definite  a manner  in 
the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  has  obliged  me  to  advise  the  engineers 
of  my  commission  to  go  on  with  the  work  of  running  the  line ; and  for 
my  part  I cannot  but  express  my  sentiments  to  you  relative  to  the  ob- 
stacles thrown  in  my  way,  and  an  account  of  which  I give  to  my  gov- 
ernment on  this  present  date,  as  well  as  the  measures  which  I have  di- 
rected, in  order  that  on  our  part  the  operations  should  be  continued, 
taking  it  for  granted  that  as  to  the  American  commission,  it  is  not  able 
to  continue  them.  Accept  with  this  reason  my  appreciation  and  con- 
sideration. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

PEDRO  GARCIA  CONDE. 

J.  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

Commissioner  for  the  U.  S.,  fyc.,  fyc. 


No.  181. — (Referred  to  in  No.  179.) 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  General  Conde. 

Headquarters  U.  S.  and  M.  Boundary  Commission, 

Santa  Rita  del  Cohre,  July  11,  1851. 

General  : I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  }rours  of 
the  7th  instant,  complaining  of  the  withdrawal  of  Lieutenant  Whipple 
from  the  line  without  having  received  any  notice  from  me  of  such  in- 
tention, and  in  consequence  of  which  withdrawal  the  survey  of  the  line 
has  been  arrested. 

This  step  on  the  part  of  Lieutenant  Whipple  has  surprised  me  much. 
The  first  intimation  I had  of  his  intention  was  a note  which  I received 
from  him  on  the  30th  ultimo,  in  which  he  says  that  he  has  received 
orders  from  Colonel  Graham  to  report  himself  in  person  to  him  atFron- 
tera,  near  El  Paso. 

This  is  certainly  a movement  I did  not  anticipate,  and  for  which  I 
see  no  good  reason.  I was  advised  by  my  government  that  Colonel 
Graham  had  been  appointed  chief  astronomer,  &c.,  and  would  report 
himself  to  me.  In  doing  so,  I expected,  as  a matter  of  course,  that  he 
would  present  himself  here. 

Had  I been  apprized  of  Lieutenant  Whipple’s  intention,  or  Colonel 
Graham’s  orders,  I would  have  instructed  Lieutenant  Whipple  so  to 
arrange  matters  before  obeying  the  orders  that  there  should  have  been 


S.  Doc.  121.  243 

210  interruption  in  running  the  line.  I will  make  every  exertion  in  my 
power  to  have  the  work  resumed  forthwith. 

With  much  respect,  I am  your  most  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  R.  BARTLETT,  Commissioner. 

General  Pedro  Garcia  Conde, 

Commissioner,  fyc.,  Camp  on  the  Mimbres. 


No.  182. 


Colonel  Abert  to  the  Secretary  of  War. 


Bureau  of  Topographical  Engineers, 

Washington , September  13,  1851. 

Six:  I have  examined  the  correspondence  submitted  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Interior  in  reference  to  the  course  pursued  by  Brevet  Lieut. 
Golonel  Graham. 

In  reference  to  the  delay  of  Lieut.  Col.  Graham  in  arriving  at  El 
Paso,  a copy  of  his  leport  to  this  office,  received  within  a few  days,  is 
herewith  submitted.  [See  No.  77.] 

The  present  complaint  against  Lieut.  Colonel  Graham,  made  by  the 
Mexican  commissioner  Conde,  is,  that  Lieut.  Colonel  Graham  ordered 
Lieut.  Whipple  to  report  to  him  personally  at  Frontera.  The  right  or 
power  of  Lieut.  Colonel  Graham  to  give  such  an  order,  and  the  neces- 
sity that  Lieut.  Whipple  should  obey  it,  are,  I think,  not  to  be  ques- 
tioned. Of  the  propriety  of  the  order  the  correspondence  furnishes  no 
means  of  judging,  nor  do  I think  such  an  order  at  variance  with  the 
instructions  from  the  Department  of  the  Interior  to  Lieut.  Colonel  Gra- 
ham. Nor  do  I think  such  an  order  would  justify  the  recall  of  Lieut. 
Colonel  Graham  from  the  command.  If  the  course  of  Lieut.  Colonel 
Graham  in  this  matter  has  an  unpleasant  aspect,  (in  not  having  passed 
the  order  through  the  commissioner)  the  most  which  I could  recommend, 
in  accordance  with  discipline,  and  with  those  considerations  due  to  an 
officer  of  his  rank,  reputation  and  experience,  on  so  distant  and  so  in- 
tricate a command,  would  be  to  send  him  copies  of  the  correspondence, 
and  require  from  him  a report. 

The  recall  would  be  a species  of  reproof.  It  could  not  be  expected 
that  Lieut.  Colonel  Graham  would  remain  quiet  under  it ; and  from  the 
facts  exposed  in  the  correspondence,  I see  nothing  which  a court  could 
censure  or  disapprove.  But  as  the  responsibility  of  this  survey  is  with 
the  Department  of  the  Interior,  should  the  Secretary  of  that  department 
insist  upon  the  change  he  has  proposed,  in  his  letter  of  the  11th  instant, 
it  does  not  appear  to  me  that  the  Department  of  War  would  be  justified 
in  interposing  objections. 

Respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  J.  ABERT, 

Colonel  Corps  T.  E. 


Hon.  C.  M.  Conrad, 

Secretary  of  War . 


244 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  1S3. 


(Endorsement  on  No.  1S2.) 

September  13*  1851. 

I do  not  entirely  concur  in  the  views  expressed  in  this  report,  and,  in 
compliance  with  the  request  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  direct  that 
Lieut.  Colonel  Graham  be  relieved  from  duty,  and  Brevet  Major  William 
H.  Emory  be  ordered  to  take  his  place. 

C.  M.  CONRAD, 

Secretary  of  War . 


No.  184. 

The  Secretary  of  War  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior . 

War  Department, 
Washington , September  13,  1851. 

Sir:  I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter,  with 
the  enclosures,  of  the  11th  instant,  and  in  reply  beg  leave  to  inform  you 
that,  in  compliance  with  your  request,  directions  have  been  given  for 
the  relief  of  Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  J.  D.  Graham,  topographical  engineers* 
from  duty  on  the  Mexican  boundary  commission,  and  for  the  detail  of 
Brevet  Major  W.  H.  Emory,  topographical  engineers,  to  take  his  place. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

C.  M.  CONRAD, 

Secretary  of  War . 

Hon.  A.  H.  H.  Stuart, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior . 


No.  185. 


E. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Lieutenant  Whipple. — (Extract.) 

“El  Paso,  December  10,  1850. 

“ The  joint  commission  has  had  several  meetings — the  last  yesterday. 
There  is  an  important  point  to  fix  by  the  astronomers,  which  makes  it 
necessary  that  I should  see  you  as  soon  as  possible. 

“Yours,  very  truly, 

“JOHN  R.  BARTLETT. 

“Lieut.  Whipple.’5 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  186. 


245 


F. 

Lieut . Whipple’s  opinion  respecting  the  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico . 

Headquarters  U.  S.  Boundary  Commission, 

El  Paso , Texas , December  12,  1850. 

Sir  : In  conformity  with  your  request,  I have  the  honor  to  submit  my 
opinion  regarding  that  portion  of  the  5th  article  of  the  treaty  of  Guada- 
lupe Hidalgo  which  refers  to  the  southern  and  western  boundaries  of 
New  Mexico. 

Had  this  boundary  been  specified  by  a reference  to  its  geographical 
position  upon  the  earth’s  surface,  being  defined  by  the  co-ordinates  of 
latitude  and  longitude,  there  could  have  been  no  difference  of  opinion 
on  the  subject.  Boundaries,  when  definite,  are  always  marked  upon 
the  earth’s  surface  by  natural  features,  such  as  mountains  or  streams, 
or  else  by  specific  lines  or  curves : such  boundaries,  when  projected  upon 
a map,  are  easily  understpod. 

But  the  map  of  Disturnell,  referred  to  by  the  treaty  as  that  to  be  fol- 
lowed in  marking  the  southern  and  western  boundaries  of  New  Mexico, 
represents  them  by  irregularly  waving  lines. 

The  inference  is  plain  that  their  position  upon  the  earth’s  surface  was 
never  determined;  but  that,  when  the  limits  of  New  Mexico  were  agreed 
upon,  the  intention  was  to  include  within  them  (north  of  the  town  of 
El  Paso,  and  between  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte  and  the  waters  of  the 
Rio  Gila)  a portion  of  territory  equal,  as  nearly  as  possible,  to  that 
within  the  waving  lines  upon  the  map. 

The  intentions  of  the  framers  of  the  treaty  being  understood,  it  re- 
mains only  for  the  commissioners  to  agree  as  to  the  manner  in  which 
those  intentions  shall  be  carried  into  effect.  The  lines  oflatitude  and 
longitude,  not  being  referred  to  in  the  treaty,  should  not  be  followed 
upon  the  map;  particularly  as,  from  the  inaccuracy  with  which  the  Rio 
Grande  is  laid  down  in  longitude,  the  designs  of  the  framers  of  the 
treaty  would  thereby  be  frustrated. 

But  Paso  being  a point  of  reference  in  the  treaty,  should  not  be  over- 
looked, and  the  distance  of  the  line  north  of  it  was  intended  to  be  rep- 
resented upon  the  map.  F rom  this  starting  point  on  the  Rio  Grande, 
to  mark  a line  due  west  three  degrees  of  longitude,  thence  due  north  to 
the  point  where  the  line  intersects  the  Rio  Gila,  appears  to  me  as  strict 
a construction  of  the  treaty  as  it  is  practicable  to  mark  upon  the  ground. 

I remain,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  W.  WHIPPLE, 

Lieut , U,  S.  Top . Eng.,  Astronomer,  §c.,  U.  S.  B.  C. 
John  R.  Bartlett,  Esq., 

U.  Boundary  Commissioner , ty.,  <^. 


246 


S.  Doc.  121. 

No.  187. 


G. 

Mr.  Bartlett  to  Lieut.  Whipple,  in  regard  to  the  southern  houndary  of  New 

Mexico. — ( Extracts . ) 

“ Mexican  Boundary  Commission, 

“El  Paso , December  30,  1850. 

“ Dear  Sir:  I received  yours  of  the  25th,  by  Mr.  Chandler,  with  a list 
of  names  to  be  attached  to  Mr.  Prioleau’s  party  for  surveying  the  line 
from  San  Elizario  to  this  place.”  ###### 
l “Your  opinion  as  to  the  understanding  of  the  5th  article  of  the  treaty, 
relating  to  the  boundary,  was  also  received  by  Mr.  Chandler,  and  shall 
be  filed  with  the  journal  of  the  commission. 

“ Yours,  respectfully, 

“J.  R.  BARTLETT, 

“ Commissioner . 

“Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple, 

“ U.  S.  Top.  Eng.,  Astronomer,  fyc.,  U.  S.  Sf  M.  B.  CP 

“P.  S. — At  the  time  I requested  your  opinion  on  the  5th  article  of 
the  treaty,  I was  fearful  that  the  position  which  I took  at  the  first  meet- 
ing of  the  joint  commission,  in  which  I claimed  the  entire  length,  or  the 
whole  southern  boundary  ofNew  Mexico,  according  to  Disturnell’s  map, 
amounting  to  3°,  and  which  I insisted  on  at  every  subsequent  meeting, 
might  not  be  acceded  to,  and  that  we  should  be  unable  to  agree.  In 
that  case,  I was  desirous  that  my  position  should,  if  possible,  be  sus- 
tained by  you.  But  I observed,  that  if  we  should  agree,  it  would  be 
unnecessary.  As  we  have  now  mutually  agreed,  and  my  original  po- 
sition and  claim  has  been  fully  acceded  to  by  the  commission  on  the 
part  of  Mexico,  this  opinion  will  be  of  no  use.  Yet,  that  it  may  be 
shown  in  the  future  history  of  the  joint  commission,  that  your  opinion 
fully  coincided  with  mine,  I shall  take  great  pleasure  in  placing  it  on  file 
with  the  records  of  the  joint  commission. 

“J.  R.  BARTLETT, 

“ Commissioner . 


No.  188. 

Professors  Baird  and  Girard's  report  to  Colonel  Graham. 

Smithsonian  Institution, 

Washington , April,  1852. 

Sir  : In  compliance  with  your  request,  we  present  you  with  an  esth 
mate  of  the  species  of  animals  collected  under  your  direction,  together 
with  the  probable  extent  of  illustrations  required  for  the  new  species. 
The  results  here  furnished  are,  of  course,  only  approximate,  the  true 
number  of  species  being  only  determinable  after  long  and  careful  ex- 


S.  Doc.  121.  247 

amination ; still  there  can  be  but  slight  variation  from  the  aggregate  as 
given  below. 

Estimate  of  Species. — Mammals,  8;  birds,  20;  reptiles,  50;  fishes,  75. 
Of  the  mammals  and  birds  two  species  each  are  probably  undescribed; 
the  reptiles  and  fishes  are  nearly  all  new  to  science.  It  will  be  perfect- 
ly safe  to  say  that  one  hundred  undescribed  species  of  North  American 
vertebrate  animals  have  thus  been  added  to  our  fauna.  This  is  an  as- 
tonishing result,  but  still  more  so  is  the  fact  that  all  have  been  gathered 
in  the  short  space  of  three  months,*  by  one  who  was  performing  his  reg- 
ular duty  in  another  branch  of  science. 

The  entire  annals  of  zoological  history  scarcely  present  a parallel  to 
this  case,  which  would  be  incredible  to  those  unacquainted  with  the  zeal 
of  your  assistant,  Mr.  Clark,  as  a naturalist,  as  well  as  with  your  own 
long  previous  determination,  as  well  as  success,  in  advancing  the  cause 
of  science  in  all  its  departments. 

In  view  of  the  results  thus  obtained,  and  of  the  great  interest  which 
prevails  among  scientific  men,  at  home  and  abroad,  in  regard  to  the  nat- 
ural history  of  the  region  traversed  by  the  corps  under  your  direction, 
it  is  very  desirable  to  have  the  undescribed  species  presented  to  the  world 
in  a style  suited  to  their  importance.  F or  this,  the  best  as  well  as  the 
cheapest  form  is  the  quarto,  for  which  size  we  have  estimated  the  fol- 
lowing number  of  plates  as  necessary  for  the  species  already  received : 

Birds,  1 ; mammals,  2;  reptiles,  10;  fishes,  20;  fossils,  2;  inverte- 
brates, 5 ; total,  40  plates. 

We  remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servants, 

S.  F.  BAIRD. 

C.  GIRARD. 

Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Topographical  Engineers. 


No.  189. 

Professors  Baird  and  Gira  rd's  further  report  to  Colonel  Graham. 

Smithsonian  Institution, 

August  5,  1852. 

Dear  Sir  : When  called  upon,  in  April  last,  to  furnish  you  with  a 
general  account  of  the  nature  of  the  zoological  collections  made  by  your 
assistant,  John  H.  Clark,  esq.,  while  you  were  superintending  the 
scientific  operations  on  the  United  States  and  Mexican  boundary,  we 
had  not  in  our  hands  the  specimens  which  were  collected  west  of 
F rontera,  situated  six  miles  above  El  Paso,  and  brought  home  by  your- 
self after  your  recall  from  that  place. 

This  last  lot  adds  much  to  the  value  of  the  one  previously  sent.  It 
contains  many  animals  entirely  new,  besides  others  which,  hitherto 
imperfectly  known,  may  now  have  their  history  completed. 

To  our  former  statement  of  the  number  of  plates  which  would  be 


# This  is  the  first  contribution  to  zoology,  which  I sent  home  from  El  Paso,  in  July,  1851.  It 
was  collected  between  the  1st  of  April  and  the  1st  of  July,  1851.  J.  D.  G. 


248 


S.  Doc.  121. 


required  for  a full  illustration  of  the  new  animals  thus  secured  to  science 
we  should  add  ten  more , the  proportional  cost  remaining  the  same. 

If  we  abstain  from  giving  you  a specific  enumeration  of  the  collec- 
tions made  under  your  care,  the  reason  of'  it  is  a very  simple  one : six 
months  of  continuous  labor  would  scarcely  suffice  for  determining  and 
giving  appropriate  names  to  the  new  species. 

Since  we  have  made  a careful  examination  of  the  reptiles  belonging 
to  the  saurian  order— ^ that  to  which  lizards  belong- — we  have  detected 
twelve  new  species,  descriptions  of  which  have  been  sent  to  the  Acad- 
emy of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia,  as  you  already  know. 

We  deem  it  unnecessary  to  transcribe  here  these  descriptions ; the 
list  of  names  we  give  as  a mere  reference  to  the  above  statement : 

Holbrookia  affinis;  Holbrookia  propittqua ; Utaornata;  Sceloporus  Pom- 
setti;  Sceloporus  Clarki;  Sceloporus  Thaycrii;  Cnemidophorus  murmora - 
tus;  Cnemidophorus  Grahami;  Cnemidophor  us  gularis;  Cnemidophorus  per- 
plexus;  Elgaria  nobilis;  Plestiodon  obsoletum. 

These  twelve  species  are  thus  distributed  into  six  genera.  The  genus 
Holbrookia  was  established  by  one  of  us  two  years  ago,  on  a little  lizard 
from  Platte  river.  The  acquisition  of  two  new  species,  besides  a third 
one  not  long  since  described,  is  deemed  highly  interesting.  The  geolo- 
gist Roemer,  in  travelling  through  Texas,  some  years  ago,  obtained 
some  reptiles,  which  he  took  to  Germany.  A German  zoologist,  not 
knowing  our  labors,  made  a genus  Cophosaurus , to  include  one  species 
from  Texas,  and  which  was  designated  under  the  name  of  C.  Tcxanus . 
But,  Holbrookia,  having  the  priority,  we  shall  henceforth  designate  it 
under  that  of  Holbrookia  Texana , one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  the  lizard 
tribe.  The  genus  Uta  we  have  proposed  for  the  first  time  in  Captain 
Stansbury’s  report,  where  one  species  is  described  and  figured. 

Many  species  of  the  genus  Sceloporus  were  known  to  science  as 
early  as  the  year  1828 ; out  of  the  three  found  to  be  new,  we  have 
dedicated  two,  at  your  own  request,  to  two  gentlemen,  the  memory  of 
whose  services  was  dear  to  you. 

F our  species  ot  the  genus  Cnemidophorus  were  collected  on  the  route 
between  Indianola  and  El  Paso* 

The  finest  species  from  the  province  of  Sonora  is  the  Elgaria  nobilis — 
a genus  proper  to  the  western  coast  of  America.  A specimen  of  this 
animal  in  a living  state  would  be  highly  desirable,  from  the  allusion 
made  b}’-  Mr.  Clark  to  us  of  its  peculiarities.  The  beautiful  skink 
( Plestiodon  obsoletum ) came  from  the  valley  of  the  Rio  San  Pedro  of  the 
Rio  Grande. 

The  study  of  the  other  reptiles  is  nearly  completed.  A.  new  species 
of  frog  ( liana  areolata)  and  one  of  toad  (Bufo  punctatus ) are  already  de- 
termined. 

Many  new  ophidians  will  soon  be  briefly  described  in  the  scientific 
periodicals  of  the  country,  postponing  a more  detailed  account  of  their 
characters — to  be  accompanied  with  proper  illustrations  of  their  fea- 
tures— to  the  time  when  Congress  shall  have  appropriated  the  means 
for  carrying  out  the  work  which  we  contemplate. 

The  fishes  are  all  new,  if  we  except  a few  from  the  gulf  which  were 
collected  during  the  short  time  the  party  was  at  Indianola.  But,  from 
the  brackish  waters  of  Indianola,  remarkable  forms  of  the  cyprinodont 


S.  Doc.  121.  249 

family  were  secured — forms  which  will  have  an  important  bearing  on 
the  natural  characters  of  that  family. 

All  those  collected  westward  are  specifically  new ; and,  as  they 
come  from  three  different  hydrographical  basins — the  San  Antonio,  the 
Nueces,  and  the  Rio  Grande — a great  deal  of  interest  is  felt  in  them, 
and  important  results  are  expected,  bearing  upon  the  primitive  geo- 
graphical distribution  of  animal  life  upon  the  surface  of  our  globe. 

The  Gila  river  trout  of  Major  Emory,  and  of  which  numerous  speci- 
mens were  collected  by  your  party,  is,  as  we  had  anticipated,  a new 
generic  representative  of  the  cyprinoid  family.  That  genus  we  pro- 
pose to  name  Grahamia , in  remembrance  of  your  services,  both  to  your 
country  and  to  science.  The  species  we  will  call  G.  Emoryi , as  a 
tribute,-  also,  to  the  services  rendered  by  Major  Emory,  your  successor 
on  the  boundary  line. 

We  have  repeatedly  spoken,  both  in  your  own  presence  and  in  that 
of  many  persons  who  have  come  to  see  them,  of  the  scientific  value  of 
these  collections.  We  might  have  done  so  here,  were  we  not  anxious 
to  let  the  facts  speak  for  themselves,  and  thus  avoid  being  taxed  with 
partiality. 

With  high  regard,  we  remain,  dear  sir,  most  respectfully,  yours, 

S.  F.  BAIRD, 

C.  GIRARD. 

Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

Late  Head  of  Scientific  Corps,  U.  S,  and  M,  B.  C, 


No.  190. 

Professor  Asa  Gray's  report  to  Colonel  Graham . 

Cambridge,  Mass.,  August  6,  1852. 

My  Dear  Sir:  I received,  yesterday,  your  favor  of  the  1st  instant. 
Your  former  letter  was  mislaid,  or  I should  have  answered  it  at  the  time. 
I will  attend  to  its  suggestions. 

As  soon  as  my  class-lectures  were  over,  I sat  down  to  the  regular 
determination  of  the  collection  of  plants  you  placed  in  my  hands,  and 
the  description  of  the  new  species,  &c.,  and  I am  still  going  on  with  it, 
and  hope  to-day  to  finish  the  Leguminosce , which  afford  many  novelties. 
When  this  is  done  it  will  be  easy  to  prepare  an  abstract  for  your  re- 
port. I did  not  give  you  any  further  notice  as  I went  on,  because,  not 
having  got  your  appropriation,  I knew  you  were  not  ready  to  print.  I 
may  state  that,  up  to  the  present  point,  I have  described  fifty  new  spe- 
cies, and  one  new  genus, 

I estimate  that  I have  gone  over  not  more  than  one-fifth  of  the  col- 
lection. At  this  rate  there  must  be  at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty  new 
species  in  the  collection,  besides  those  enumerated  in  the  partial  report 
which  I previously  sent  to  you.  Including  those  enumerated  in  that 
brief  report,  it  will  be  within  the  mark  to  say  that  as  many  as  three 


250 


S.  Doc.  121. 


hundred  and  fifty  new  species,  and  five  or  six  new  or  unpublished  genera f 
were  collected  by  Mr.  Wright  while  under  your  command. 

The  collection  made  at  the  Copper  Mines,  and  between  there  and 
Santa  Cruz,  in  Sonora,  is  full  of  novelty  and  interest. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  yours,  very  respectfully  and  truly, 

ASA  GRAY. 


Col.  J.  D.  Graham, 

U.  S.  Topographical  Engineers , Sfc.,  Sfc.,  fyc. 


No.  192. 


Decrees  of  the  Mexican  Congress  of  July  6 and  July  27,  1824;  the  first 

making  Chihuahua  a State  of  the  Republic , and  the  second  defining  her 

boundaries. 

Decree. — (Translation.) 

The  sovereign  general  constituent  congress  of  the  United  Mexican 
States  has  held  it  well  to  decree : 

Art.  1.  The  Territory  of  Chihuahua  shall  be  a State  of  the  federa- 
tion. 

[Articles  2 and  3 relate  to  the  organization  of  the  legislative  body, 
&c.,  &c.] 

Art.  4.  The  territory  of  New  Mexico  remains  a territory  of  the 
federation. 

It  shall  be  so. 

Mexico,  July  6,  3824. 


D e cre  e . — (E  xtr  act — tr  an  slati  on .) 

Boundary  of  the  territory  of  the  province  of  Chihuahua. 

The  sovereign  general  constituent  congress  of  the  United  Mexican 
States  has  held  it  well  to  decree : 

The  territory  of  the  province  of  Chihuahua  shall  include  all  that  is 
comprehended  between  right  lines  drawn  from  east  to  west,  from  the 
point  or  town  called  Paso  del  Norte  on  the  one  side,  with  the  jurisdic- 
tion it  has  always  possessed,  and  the  hacienda  of  the  Rio  Florido  on 
the  side  of  Durango,  with  its  respective  appurtenances. 

It  shall  be  so. 

Mexico,  July  27,  1824. 


4r,  73. 


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To  face  page  17#  of  Senate  JSx.Hoc.  121, 

32'!?  Congress,  117  Session. . 


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